Red Bag – “Could This Be?” review

Red Bag is an independent hip hop artist from Long Beach, California whose music puts a he world in the shoes of his lived experiences built for the ones still in it from the lens of a cinematically raw point-of-view. For his full-length studio debut however, fellow Rich Mind$ collective brethren Cynematic has been enlisted behind the boards for the inaugural half of a 2-part series that he calls The Message recalling the roads he once walked that many are walking to this very day.

“Winter Stone” begins with a 90 second drumless intro talking about letting his mind drift when he smokes weed whereas “Blanc de Blancs” goes for a jazzier vibe instrumentally asking if anyone can rip microphones better than him. “Gourmet Chops” finds himself getting boastful over a soulful beat leading into “Fresh Water” talking about him doing this for the ones he’s lost.

Terry joins Red Bag on “Fools Rush” continuing to drop braggadocio over a lo-fi boom bap instrumental reminding me of Domo Genesis during the Odd Future era just before “Parallax” talks about his refusal to fake shit because of the way he came up. “Broken” moves on from there admitting to be more gentle with himself going forward while “XTC” reaches the halfway point of Could This Be? with a compositional approach not even an entire minute long.

“In Due Time” kicks off the 2nd half of the album with a 63 second freestyle talking about his capability of making an entire crowd listen whenever he takes the microphone while “Deja Vu” speaking of his purpose of being destined for this shit & overcoming any obstacles. “Came to Age” spends a minute & half honoring the legacy of my 2nd favorite producer of all-time J Dilla behind the Quincy Jones of hip hop Dr. Dre himself prior to Terry returning for the title track.

To wrap up Could This Be?’s final act, “Stripes” talks about staying a student of the game when you’re constantly holding yourself back while “Burning” treads the lo-fi boom bap waters discussing how the legacy you leave behind going forward is the one that rally counts. “Twist” talks about recruiting new members for his crew to replace the older ones & the outro “Full Circle” sends it all off reaching the point of being past all the bullshit in his life.

Catering his music to the people across the world who’re experiencing his past presently, Red Bag looks to make a wider introduction to the west coast underground by presenting the world this inaugural half of this saga split into 2 completely different sections & Could This Be? marks a personal debut for the west coast artist in general. The production Cynematic brings to the table is a mix of drumless, boom bap, jazz rap & lo-fi hip hop reminding us all he overcame his obstacles by pushing forward.

Score: 3.5/5

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Cochise – “Trench Town” review

Cochise is a 28 year old rapper & producer from Palm Bay, Florida who introduced himself back in 2018 off his debut extended play. He would go on to drop 4 more EPs along with the full-length debut Benbow Crescent & the sophomore effort The Inspection. The latter of which has been widely considered to the weakest entry in his discography yet & Why Always Me? back in 2024 was an improvement, celebrating his independence following his departure from Columbia Records with his 4th studio LP.

“Parlay” begins with a 90 second rage intro talking about chopping the roof off his coupe whereas “SRT” carries over the hypertrap vibes instrumentally boasts that he made millions off this rap shit, hence why no one can tell him shit. “White Boy Swag” produced by venny has a crazy line about Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy trying to kill KiD CuDi on top of more rage beats leading into the soulful trap fusion “On My Mind” admitting that he woke up with some recurring thoughts in his head.

Pradabagshawty makes one of many stellar guest appearances on “Test” hopping over a BenjiCold beat talking about pulling up with choppers & kidnapping kids just before “We Chat” spends 78 seconds discussing a bad bitch who turns out to be bad news later on. “Who Dat?” sends a warning of decapitating anyone who tries to fuck with him leading into “Glorious” featuring Lelo joins forces over a Supah Mario instrumental sneaking in the club with firearms.

“It’s a Trap” gets the 2nd half of Trench Town going on some plugg shit cautioning against women saying they like you when that isn’t the case whatsoever in reality while “Headache” talks about needing some Advil to make his head stop killing him. “Cutlass” featuring Oodaredevil & 454 finds the trio masking up & shutting out mascots together while “So Much Fun” featuring prettifun talks about being so rich the point where they don’t need to make music anymore.

Meanwhle on “Bad Jit”, we have Cochise talking about his experiences of being a wild kid growing up while “Hashtag” wasn’t that impressive of a single to me although I appreciate the way he observes social media’s prominent usage of hashtags. “Gon” hooks up some celebratory synthesizers into the fold talking about killing shit with his twin by his side & the outro “Gilmora” takes inspiration from Ye to end the album giving a fuck less what people have to say since they treat him like a villain.

I wasn’t really a fan of Cochise’s major label output other than Benbow Crescent, but Trench Town commemorates this new era of his career no longer being held back by a major label to drop the most enjoyable collection of music he’s made since his debut. All 5 of the guests match his energy in terms of performances with the cloudy trap & rage production going a lot crazier than The Inspection or Why Always Me? combined.

Score: 3.5/5

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Matt Proxy – “Trojan Horse” review

Matt Proxy is a 19 year old rapper & producer from Minneapolis, Minnesota who began making music as a teenager several multiple aliases with the most prominent ones being cloutedmatt & mwru. He has since dropped a total of 5 extended plays, with his previous one Horse Play under Sony Music last fall coming out not too long after receiving co-signs ranging from JPEGMAFIA to fakemink & even Playboi Carti. Looking to further capitalize on his popularity, he’s releasing a full-length studio debut.

The self-produced “5” opens up with a rap rock intro talking about his life being in a rearview mirror although I wish fakemink had a verse whereas “Stars” hits us with a 2-parter detailing his every move being watched & smoking blunts for therapeutic purposes. “Atlanta” samples “Father”by The Christians along with “Answer” by Tyler, The Creator & “Forever” by The Marvelettes to talk about his dad just before “All You’ll Hear is My Song in Your Head” featuring JUSQ addresses insomnia.

“Misery” chops up “Hate Me Now” by Nas, “Just Too Much To Hope For” by the late Tammi Terrell & “Devil In a New Dress” by Ye featuring Rick Ross talking about his girlfriend still riding for him regardless of his own imperfections just before “New Solution” talks about being faithful to the money. “Blue” ends the 1st leg of Trojan Horseremembering his late sister who passed away back in March while “Never Kill Yourself” by never goodbye denounces suicide ideation.

We have “Meant2B” splitting itself into 2 separate portions talking about being destined for this music shit while “Love&Addiction” fuses experimental hip hop, drumless, sound collage, slacker rock, space rock revival & neo-psychedelia to ask if you can see the vision. “Sorry” later blends pop rap, neo-soul, experimental hip hop, neo-psychedelia, cloud rap & alternative R&B for another single addressing a breakup that he’s been going through.

“God” featuring Current Joys interpolates “Survival of the Fittest” by Mobb Deep talking about not wanting this life going full slacker rock & “iPhone” featuring Aiden Farley sends off Trojan Horse with a synthfunk/pop rap outro having Matt at the beginning of it talking about going fast, then we get a beat switch & Aiden hoping that nobody listens to the probable. I also found the guitar solo near the final moments to be exciting.

Trojan Horse marks a conclusion to a trilogy in which Beating a Dead Horse began & Horse Play bridged by taking more risks than Matt Proxy did 7 months earlier, resulting in the most powerful statement of his career so far. The experimental production dabbles with more live-instrumentation varying between slacker rock, chipmunk soul, industrial hip hop, sound collage, drumless, space rock revival, neo-psychedelia, pop rap, neo-soul, cloud rap, alternative R&B & synthfunk to take an prominently introspective approach to songwriting other than some occasional abstract & conscious detours.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ras Ceylon – “Scrollz of Lion Rock” review

Here is the 9th studio LP from Oakland, California recording artist & educator Ras Ceylon. Widely accepted for being the very first Sri Lankan emcee to emerge within the western hip hop canon by making his 1999 debut, he would later go on to join the Wu-Tang Killa Beez collective & drop 7 more full-lengths. However, he enlisted the late Oli “Power” Grant to executive producer Scrollz of Lion Rock prior to his passing with Holy Toledo Productions founder M-80 handling the A&R duties.

After the compositional “Grand Entrance (Sigriya)” intro, “Word is Bond” featuring Cappadonna & Timbo King finds the trio over a boom bap instrumental reminding the world who they are whereas “Dis.Info.Age” samples “Gazzillion Ear” by the late MF DOOM to talk about the rise of misinformation. “Ancestors” featuring Ras Kass joins forces to discuss the fearless of black people while “Buzzsaw” featuring Timbo King & 9th Prince dismantles all industry plants.

“Uprising” switches things up with a trap beat talking about how he doesn’t hide from shit leading into “Duality” featuring Timbo King produced by Mathematics reaching the halfway point with my favorite song here explaining that people either put the work in for glory or they merely don’t. “International Flex” featuring Tuff Like Iron & Yung Shanty brings everything together to go worldwide with it just before “Heart Muscle” soulfully breaks down his belief in love.

Timbo King appears once again on “Free the World” talking about fighting to win while “Land Grab” dabbled with trap again, maintaining the conscious subject matter. “River 2 Sea” featuring Solomon Childs calls for an end to the Gaza genocide & all apartheid but after “Sword Swingin’” featuring Planet Asia & Timbo King tries to see who’s pen cuts the deepest, the outro “Blessingz” featuring Prodigal Sunn ends the album advising not to take life for granted.

Built on the creative foundation of Jacket Fulla Medalz a couple years ago, Scrollz of Lion Rock elevates Ras Ceylon’s partnership with Timbo King into a fully realized long-form statement that cements him within the Wu-Tang Killa Beez lineage while highlighting his unique globally grassroots voice enlisting guests who help extended the narratives pushed. The production’s mainly rooted in the traditional boom bap sound confronting themes of power, resistance, survival & cultural memory with precision & weight.

YG – “The Gentlemen’s Club” review

Compton, California emcee YG back for his 4th LP & 10K Projects debut. Coming up in 2009 off his debut mixtape 4Fingaz, this was followed up with 4 more tapes prior to Jeezy discovering him in 2013 & landing him a deal with his Def Jam Recordings imprint CTE World. YG’s potential would begin to show in the form of his full-length debut My Krazy Life & came into his own on the sophomore effort Still Brazy launching his own label 400 Records around that same time period, but the next 4 tapes Stay Dangerous as well as 4Real 4Real, My Life 400 & I Got Issues all received mixed to poor responses as did the 3rd installment of the Just Re’d Up series. However, he’s opening up The Gentleman’s Club to celebrate the summer.

After the intro, “OMG” featuring Pusha T begins with both of them over a sinister beat although there’s a questionable line during Push’s verse whereas “Kudos” incorporates a harp instrumental talking about saying goodbye to everything to made him. “Hitman” has a more aggressive vibe in general promising to be the last one standing while “Simon Says” featuring Isaiah Falls & Odeal derails it with a hideous pop rap cut.

“On the Low” featuring Tyler, The Creator & produced by Ty$ was highly anticipated by me talking about dressing like Vogue models just before the nervous “We Know the Truth” confesses to not having Drakeo the Ruler murdered. “Hollywood” featuring the Shoreline Mafia finds the trio hitting us with more traffic music detailing their gangsta upbringings while “Gang Bizness” featuring PayGotti kicks off the 2nd half with a gangsta rap single that I found myself enjoying less than the one prior.

We have YG responding to the “Hitman” who tried to claim his life on “Ready to Die” hooking up some prominent pianos & capitalizing on his ability of telling stories but after “Writing My Wrongs” leans towards a more cavernous vibe instrumentally talking about all the mistakes he’s made in his life, “Dinner Dates & Heartbreaks” has a cloudier approach to the beat lividly airing out a bitch for lying to him & demanding that she gives him the truth for once.

“Tiffany” splits itself into 2 separate portions recalling an encounter Chris had with the titular character whom he met at the club who happened to be transgender while “Insecure” featuring Ab-Soul & J.I.D was my favorite single of the bunch, talking about their own personal insecurities. The closing track “Mid Life Crisis” spends The Gentlemen’s Club’s final minutes hopping over a Jay Versace beat looking to get all the bullshit off his mind.

The Gentlemen’s Club is noticeably more conceptual than a lot of YG’s recent material & I’m happy that he came to the realization of throwing shit at the wall to see if it sticks wasn’t entirely the best way to get out of his contract since his discography suffered as a result. Some of the contemporary R&B/pop rap-flavored cuts still don’t do it for me although the elements of hardcore hip hop, conscious hip hop, gangsta rap & nervous music are all higher quality material.

Score: 3/5

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Key Glock – “Project X” review

Here is the 5th studio LP although his 2nd for a major label from Memphis, Tennessee rapper Key Glock. Notable for being the cousin of the late Young Dolph, he signed to Paper Route Empire in 2017 after his debut mixtape Whole Lotta Errthang & has since released 4 more tapes in addition to an EP & his last 4 full-lengths. The most notable being Glockoma 2 & his previous one Glockaveli. Over a year later since making his debut for Republic Records, Project X has arrived in time for summer.

“Mannish” produced by the late Tay Keith who unexpectedly passed yesterday afternoon opens up with a cloudy trap intro talking about having too many hoes whereas “50 Hoes” flexes that he has bitches in every state over some pianos & hi-hats. “Hardknock” talks about embracing the rockstar lifestyle now that he’s been blowing up over an eerier instrumental while “Face Down” runs it back with Tay Keith again for an effective club anthem.

As for “Big 5”, we have Glock slowing the pace for a groove-heavy cut talking about standing on business every single time leading into “6AM” discusses waking up early in the morning so he can make some bread. “Dummy” acknowledges his continued success over a boisterous Tay Keith beat with co-production from Cubeatz looking to add more commas to his bank account just before “Drug Luv” talks about women being in love with drugs & guys staying bitter.

“Work It” hits us with another club anthem although I don’t think it’s better than “Face Down”, but then “Faded” ends the 1st half of Project Xexperimenting with plugg to talk about getting fucked up. “Sick” kicks off the 2nd leg flexin’ without having to go to the gym over an Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental & making it clear that he ain’t nothing like these bitches while “SRT Muzik” talks about nobody being able to compete with him musically.

Tay Keith returns behind the boards once again for “Benzo” showing off this new Benz that he copped while “Cash Money” pays tribute to Mannie Fresh, who’s certainly underappreciated for architecting the titular Republic imprint’s signature sound 3 decades earlier. “Cherry on Top” talks about poppin’ his shit with confidence over a more psychedelic trap instrumental while “Loco” wasn’t that impressive of a single in my opinion.

“Go” winds down the last few moments of Project X talking about still being the same as he was prior to the fame while “Seeing Red” luxuriously becomes self-aware of needing his medication after fucking around & waking up on the wrong side of the bed. “Houston Flow” nears closer towards the end of the album showing his appreciation for the 713 & the outro “Reminiscing” couldn’t have finished off on a more introspectively reflective note.

Looking to further push himself artistically, Key Glock explores a broader range of southern hip hop styles without abandoning his trap roots & that’s what makes Project X my 2nd favorite entry in the Paper Route Empire’s flagship delegate’s whole discography. Tay Keith’s many contributions are bittersweet to hear considering his tragic death only 24 hours earlier & although I’d like to hear some guests who’re on his level lyrically, I appreciate him continuing to hold the fort down individually.

Score: 4/5

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D12 – “D12 Forever” review

D12 is a duo from Detroit, Michigan now consisting of Kuniva & Swifty McVay. Other members included B. Flatt, Bizarre, the late Bugz, the late Dirtty Ratt, the late Eye-Kyu, their late de facto leader Proof, Killa Hawk, DJ Head, Fuzz Scoota, mR. pOrTeR & most notably Eminem. Becoming the first act to sign with Shady Records after Interscope Records helped launch it, their full-length debut Devil’s Night has become a hometown classic & the sophomore effort D12 World went for a more commercial sound, carrying the legacy forward 2 decades after Proof’s murder by dropping their 3rd album under Compound Interest Entertainment.

“My Salsa” after the “Again, Another Public Service Announcement” intro produced by Jake Bass opens up sampling “My Band” talking about giving what the world’s been missing whereas “Tear It Down” featuring B-Real & Xzibit finds the quartet linking up for a hardcore hip hop single. “Proof & Eli” lets Derty Harry shine posthumously with his son Eli Ble$$ed for a couple minutes just before “Better Dayz” talks about having faith in God when times are hard.

As for “Kill the Engineer”, we have Swift & Kuniva trading bars over a boom bap instrumental talking about an audio engineer being murdered in their studio leading into “Tenderism” featuring Method Man finds all 3 of them getting back in their hardcore bag lyrically. “Dirty Nation” flips the Funkadelic single “1 Nation Under a Groove” for an carefree g-funk anthem while “Still Hating” featuring King Iso & Tech N9ne after the “Nick’s Coffee House” skit returns to a more hardcore hip hop sound.

“Bugz ‘98” pays homage to their fallen brethren in the vein of “Bugz ‘97” off D12 World while “Even Knights Kneel” talks about kings having to meet their Gods over a rap rock beat. “Nightmare Walking” featuring Xzibit includes a touching callback to “Kurt Kobain” off Searching for Jerry Garcia during Kuniva’s verse & after “What If?” takes a few minutes to paint vivid scenarios, “Forever” ends the D12 Forever talking about representing the team for life.

Regardless of Eminem saying at the end of “Stepping Stone” that D12 was over, I have all the respect in the world for Swifty McVay & Kuniva keeping the group’s legacy alive even if it’s only them going forward. That said: If we’re gonna get a whole series out of this considering that sequel to D12 Forever is being hinted, I wouldn’t mind it & feel like fans would still appreciate it as a gift coinciding the 25 year anniversary of their debut. Jake Bass’ production reminds me of the Dirty Dozen’s earlier output, the guests are all carefully selected & the performances of both members are harder than the My Brother’s Keeper EP in comparison.

Score: 4/5

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tana – “Me” review

Here is the sophomore effort from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & producer tana. Starting in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosaalongside his debut mixtape Quan before signing to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. tana later preluded his full-length debut bana by putting out Gaultier as well as London & Dale, celebrating his independence by dropping Me.

“keep rollin’” begins with a self-produced 2-parter talking about nobody being on his level artistically whereas “me & my gun” takes a more psychedelic trap approach instrumentally so he can get in his gangsta rap bag. “Insane (For Your Love)” swaps out the psychedelia in favor of pop rap elements expressing how obsessed he is with a woman he’s in love with leading into “i like her” talking about his girl chiefing blunts & the beat reminds me of KiD CuDi’s early material at points.

As for “take u there”, we have tana over a druggier instrumentally explaining that he likes to count up his bread & mind his own business just before “pray for my mama” talks about making sure his people are good where they’re rising. “Everything Will Be Fine” dismisses acting right since he credits his selfishness to being the main reason he became wealthy while “control” provides words of encouragement, telling the audience he believes in them.

“nsfw (the prelude)” kicks off the 2nd leg of Me on some 808s & Heartbreak vibes singing about being from the future while “again” returns to a trap sound dissing 9 Vicious & admitting that his days have been getting somewhat darker. “laptopnotebook” mixes some hi-hats with sampling techniques talking about not needing anything else other than those 2 specific items while “PMD” details being in love with the way she sits on his ambition.

Cardo gets behind the boards for the song “show it off” talking about wanting to link up with his shawty because he finds their relationship to be nothing short of gorgeous while “dear jodie” produced by Zodiac of Vanguard Music Group pens an open letter to a woman he knew wanting her to know that he’s a changed man. The outro “philly” spends Me’s final minutes talking about coming to fuck shit up & arriving to the function throwing bands.

Despite being happy for tana no longer being held back by a major label, I wouldn’t put Me above Bana or even Gaultier although I’m adamant of him putting something out of that caliber regardless of whether he signs somewhere else or not. The cloudy yet poppy trap production could’ve been better especially during the 2nd half of it other than a few occasional highlights & would’ve loved a guest appearance or 2.

Score: 3/5

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Olivia Rodrigo – “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” review

Olivia Rodrigo is a 23 year old singer/songwriter & actress from Murrieta, California who began acting for The Walt Disney Company in the late 2010s prior to focusing on a musical career & signing to Geffen Records. Her full-length debut Sour solidly explored the perils & discoveries she made when she was 17 & the sophomore effort Guts reflect the process of maturity she experienced toward the end of her adolescence, looking to make a departure with her 3rd album compared to both of it’s predecessors.

The intro “Drop Dead” fuses pop rock, synthpop, new wave, big music & indie pop daydreaming over someone she’s crushing on whereas “stupid song” takes inspiration from Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux singing about wanting this guy more than anything she could write. “honeybee” continues from there assuring she has love for this person even if she can’t quite describe it while the rock-driven “maggots for brains” thematically bases itself around Miranda from Sex & the City.

“u + me = <3” nears the conclusion of you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love singing about being optimistic of a new relationship beginning leading into “my way” gives off some Gwen Stefani vibes furiously calling out a woman for crossing her relationship boundaries. “purple” marks a turning point where things start to unravel just before my favorite single “the cure” experiments with pop rock, singer/songwriter, acoustic rock, post-Britpop, big music & chamber pop coming to terms with her flaws.

Meanwhile on “begged”, we have Olivia giving a more nuanced take of wanting more affection from her boyfriend “what’s wrong with me” featuring Robert Smith finds pair joining forces to help her realizes that this guy she’s dating is the cause of her sadness. “less” makes her last attempts at saving their relationship from collapsing & after “expectations” refuses to settle for someone with a fake job, she spends the final minutes likening her ex to “cigarette smoke” regretting the time she spent with him.

Guts was a huge improvement above Sour & you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love completely embraces Olivia Rodrigo’s full artistic potential by dropping the best music I’ve heard from her. Dan Nigro’s production almost perfects her pop rock sound incorporating some additional elements of singer/songwriter, new wave, alternative rock, indie rock, acoustic rock, post-Britpop, big music, jangle pop, chamber pop, adult contemporary & traditional pop portaging a relationship from beginning to end.

Score: 4.5/5

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Sublime – “Until the Sun Explodes” review

Sublime is a ska punk band from Long Beach, California now comprised of drummer Bud Gagh, bassist Eric Wilson & frontman Jakob Nowell. The trio’s 1992 debut 40oz. to Freedom & their eponymous 3rd LP under MCA Records would become some of the greatest material to come out of the fusion genre between 3rd wave ska & punk rock music although their sophomore effort Robbin’ the Hood wasn’t as positively received. 3 decades since the death of Jakob’s father Brad, they’re signing to Atlantic Records for their 4th & final album.

“Ensenada” begins with a reggae rock intro where Jakob’s singing about wanting to make love to a whore whereas “Wizard” instrumentally takes it back to their ska punk origins describing 7 years of darkness. “Can’t Miss You” pulls further inspiration from the reggae rock style cautioning not to trust his love because it’ll only go just before “Backwards” featuring FIDLAR makes a turn into ska punk turf once more addresses the problem with their friends.

After the “Maybe Partying Will Help…” interlude, “Favorite Song” featuring Skegss unites both parties so they can sing about the music they love the most sounding like shit to them now leading into “Personal Hell” fusing ska punk & hip hop recalls a man Jakob knew in a previous life. “F.T.R.” not to be confused with the record-tying 3-time AEW World Tag Team Champions & former ROH World Tag Team Champions of the same name sings about having a good feeling & keeping the positive vibes rolling.

“Evil Men” hooks up some bright guitar tones & some drums yearning to make love while “Trey’s Song” featuring Bad Brains frontman/guitarist H.R. finds the pair describing a situation where they’re in love with women who don’t feel the same way. “Casino Toarmina” has a more stripped-back feeling singing about wanting to take a Costa Rican woman home over some acoustics while “The Problem with That Is It Makes Me Stoked…” hits us with another interlude.

Kicking off the 2nd half of Until the Sun Explodes properly, “Gangstalker” gives off a more standard punk flare putting us inside the shoes of somebody experiencing paranoia while “Figueroa” treads the reggae rock waters once more singing about breakin’ his back doin’ the best Jakob can. “Froggy” tells the story of someone who everyone wanted to become friends with carrying over the reggae elements while “Come Correct” featuring G. Love & Special Sauce sings about acting accordingly around them.

“What For” makes it clear that Jakob only wants to be around this woman for 24 hours while “247-369” with my favorite feature Pennywise brings both SRH Productions representatives together for a punk rock headbanger. After the last 2 installments of the “Maybe Partying Will Help…” trilogy, the title track sings about Jakob owing his deceased father Brad his life & “Thanx Again” finishes Until the Sun Explodes showing gratitude for the band’s supporters.

I wouldn’t consider Until the Sun Explodes to be on the same tier as 40oz. to Freedom or self-titled by any means, but I’d put it above Robbin’ the Hood as the 3rd best in Sublime’s brief yet impactful discography without hesitation even if plans of blink-182 drummer Travis Barker originally producing it fell through. The production entertainingly combines alternative rock, 3rd wave ska, reggae rock, punk rock, ska punk, hip hop, dub & rap rock for a satisfactory epilogue to their illustrious career.

Score: 4/5

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