Various Artists – “Judas & the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album” review

This is a brand new soundtrack album curated by California producer, rapper & singer/songwriter Hit-Boy. Coming up in the late 2000s under the wing of Polow da Don, he eventually become an in-house producer for the Kanye West-owned Def Jam Recordings imprint G.O.O.D. Music from 2011 to 2013 before forming his own label HS87 Music distributed by Interscope Records. But it goes without saying that 2020 was Hit-Boy’s biggest year yet, starting off when he entirely produced Nas’ latest full-length outing King’s Disease in it’s entirety in late August. This would result in a 3-peat for Hit-Boy, as he went on to produce nearly half of Big Sean’s last album Detroit 2 a couple weeks later & then lacing Benny the Butcher’s sophomore effort Burden of Proof from front to back a little over a month after. But to accompany the universally acclaimed political drama Judas & the Black Messiah hitting HBO Max & select theaters, the West Coast producer has amassed an all-star cast of performers to make music inspired by the motion picture.

After the 3-minute spoken word intro “COINTELPRO / DEC. 4” by Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., the first song “Fight for You” by H.E.R. talks about freedom over a glossy yet funky beat whereas the next song “EPMD” by Nas gets in his Escobar bag referencing the 5 big tech companies in Google, Amazon, Apple Inc., Meta Platforms & Microsoft over an more aggressive instrumental from Hit-Boy himself. The song “Welcome to America” by Black Thought talks about dreaming as long as you’re breathing in the U.S. over a tribal beat from Sean C while the track “What It Feels Like” by JAY-Z & the late Nipsey Hu$$le talks about success over an instrumental with an ambitious atmosphere to it.

The song “Broad Day” by Hit-Boy talks about A&Ring the game over an angelic beat while the track “Plead the .45th” by SABA & Smino talks about remaining silent over a colorless instrumental. The song “Something Ain’t Right” by J.I.D & Rapsody talks about corruption over a calming beat from Cardiak while the track “Letter 2 U” by BJ the Chicago Kid asks to set this woman’s soul on fire over a tactile instrumental.

The song “On Your Mind” by Lil Durk gets confessional over a trap beat with some wonderful keyboard arpeggios while the track “Appraise” by White Dave talks about being the last hope over a cloudy instrumental. The song “All Black” by G Herbo talks about poppin’ out over some celebratory horn sections from Turbo while the track “I Declare War” by Nado Wick gets violent over an drugged-out instrumental from Cardo.

The song “No Profanity” by Pooh Shiesty perfectly lives up to it’s name as he talks about standing on what he believes in without cussing over a sumptuous trap beat while the track “Last Man Standing” by Polo G talks about leading Chicago the way Fred Hampton did over a wretched instrumental. The song “Respect My Mind” by Dom Kennedy talks about rising to the challenges over a hair-raising beat while the track “Revolutionary” by G Herbo & Bump J talks about “standing like a man” over a beautiful vocal sample laced throughout the instrumental.

The song “Teach Me” by SiR talks about having the wrong idea of love over a holy beat while the track “Contagious” by SAFE & Liana Ledé is a cliché romance duet carried by the spicy instrumental. The song “Rich N***a Problems” by A$AP Rocky details the cons of being wealthy over a jazzy trap beat & after the “J.A.T.B.M”. outro, the bonus cut “Black Messiah” by Rakim is essentially Fred Hampton’s life on wax backed by a soul sample from The God MC himself.

This is hands down the best soundtrack album I’ve heard in a while. I mean I’m not too big on soundtrack albums this day in age & I made that pretty clear when I gave a positive review towards the Conflicted soundtrack last month, but I consider this to be the Black Panther soundtrack on steroids from the guests & production to the subject matter.

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

Double Dragon – Self-Titled review

Double Dragon is a newly formed hip hop duo consisting of Bukshot & Kung Fu Vampire. One of whom hails from Louisville, Kentucky & the other comes straight outta San Jose, California. Both these guys have collaborated with one another a couple of times throughout the years, but they’re joining forces & taking things to the next level by dropping a full-length debut together after they’ve been teasing it ever since 2019 to the delight of fans in the underground wicked shit scene who enjoy their respective styles.

After the “Rise of the Pranja” intro, the first song “Buk-Fu” finds the duo asking how people gon’ react when they come through over a malicious 7 instrumental with this incredible g-funk synth-line throughout while the next track “Ain’t the One” tells the listener not to play with them over a trap beat laced with this plinky keyboard melody. The song “Torn Apart” talks about over an instrumental backed by some Omen-like background vocals while the track “Non-Believers” with Boondox sees the 3 talking about losing their way over a spine-tingling trap beat.

The song “Nice” talks about taking flight over a cacophonous Godsynth instrumental while the treacle “Don’t Get Beat Up” talks about rappers feuding over nothing on top of an icy trap beat from Young Wicked. The song “Easy Target” with Rittz finds the trio talking about how they ain’t hard to find over a Kung Fu Vampire instrumental fusing elements of country as well as trap & rock while the title track talks about being the ones they fear over somewhat quirky yet abrasive beat. Then there’s the bonus cut “Tyrants”, where Double Dragon speak on not being with all the bullshit over a macabre instrumental.

This has been one of the underground’s most anticipated albums of 2021 & the final product makes it well worth waiting almost 2 years because you can really tell Bukshot & Kung Fu Vampire took their time to really hone in on a natural chemistry on top of some top notch production.

Score: 4/5

Super Famous Fun Time Guys – “Don’t Hug Me from the Front” review

The Super Famous Fun Time Guys are an Ohio-based horrorcore duo consisting of Mr. 8 Legz & Whipstick. They’ve released 2 full-lengths & an EP on their own since their formation in 2017 but after becoming the first act to sign to Alla Xul Elu’s independent label Long Live Evil a little over a month ago, 8 Legz & Whipstick are celebrating by dropping their 3rd full-length album.

After the “Tokyo Smoothies with Bob” intro, the title track that truly kicks the album off taps in with Dubbs to spit some humorous insults over an uptempo instrumental while the track “Up for Grabs” with Breadwin DeVille & Hard Target finds the quartet talking about sex over a somewhat tropical beat. The song “Could’ve Played Fallout” tells the story of Whipstick bringing 8 Legz out to a party over a trap instrumental with some plinky keys while the track “Luchaflorida” talks about where the duo came from referencing The Undertaker’s final match against AJ Styles at WWE’s first 2-night WrestleMania last year over a dusty boom bap beat.

The song “Squad Up” with Blaze Ya Dead Homie sees the trio talking about this being the new sound over an instrumental with this hypnotic loop hanging in the background while the track “Alright” talking about wack rappers over a trap beat with some twinkling chimes. The song “Muerte Mierda” reunites with Dubbs to talk about murder over a deranged instrumental while the track “Hide & Seek After Sunset” with Alla Xul Elu finds the 5 enhancing the horrorcore vibes of the previous joint from the lyrics to the production.

The song “In the Alleyway” talks about slaying any rapper who opposes them over a Billy Obey instrumental that throws it back to the 90’s while the track “Brainless” talks about being immortalized after death over a grungy boom bap beat. The song “Talk2me” ponders how one can heal if they can never escape over a paranormal instrumental & after the “We’re Being Creepy” skit, the closer “I Like My Friends” talks about running the rap game their way over a playful beat from Bad Mind for the first 3 minutes before leading into a 14 minute skit.

Alla Xul Elu & I’ve been curious to hear what would happen if they brought new talent on board the Long Live Evil label. Needless to say, I’m very impressed with what the Super Famous Fun Time Guys delivered on here. Their sound on here is totally refined in comparison to their previous output & their pen-game has also improved.

Score: 4/5

Conway the Machine – “If It Bleeds, It Can Be Killed” review

This is a brand new EP from Buffalo emcee Conway the Machine. I really shouldn’t have to explain who he is at this point not just because I’ve been covering the whole Griselda camp quite a bit throughout these past few years, but just the way they have been dominating hip hop since late 2015 balancing quantity & quality by dropping a handful of dope projects a year. But 2020 was undoubtedly Conway’s most prolific year yet, dropping a total of 2 EPs & a full-length debut that’ve all quickly gone down as some of his best bodies of work yet. But as Conway gears up for his long-awaited Shady Records debut God Don’t Make Mistakes, he’s re-enlisting Big Ghost Ltd. for a sequel to No One Mourns the Wicked entitled If It Bleeds, It Can Be Killed.

After the “Commencement” intro from Lukey Cage, the first song “J Batters” calls to free his homie of the same name over some cinematic string sections whereas the next track “away We Move” talks about going from nothing to performing at Coachella over a soulful beat. The track “Kill All Rats” with Ransom & Rome Streetz finds the trio taking aim at snitches over an occult instrumental while the song “Toast” talks about aiming at fuck boys over a luxurious beat.

The song “Losses to Blessings” talks about the trials & tribulations over a melancholic, jazzy beat while the track “Highly Praised” talks about never falling off over a gospel sample. The song “Sons of Kings” with Knowledge the Pirate sees the 2 getting in their shit-talking bag about over a boom bap beat with some up-tempo keyboard melodies while the penultimate track “Red Beams” talks about wanting all the smoke over a devilish beat. The album ends with “Forever Ago”, where Conway talks about lying to protect his significant other from the truth over some harmonious vocal melodies.

I think If It Bleeds, It Can Be Killed is right on par with No One Mourns the Wicked & brought my excitement for God Don’t Make Mistakes to an all-time high. Conway continues to elevate as the best lyricist in Griselda & on the other end, Big Ghost Ltd. cooks up some of his best production yet.

Score: 4.5/5

Devin the Dude – “Soulful Distance” review

Devin the Dude is a 50 year old rapper & singer from Houston, Texas who came up as a member of the trio Coughee Brothaz. They would eventually catch the attention of J. Prince in 1993 & sign to Rap-A-Lot Records, only releasing 1 album Fadanuf fa Erybody!!. However, Devin would break out as a solo artist by releasing 4 albums before departing in 2008. He’s gone on to make 6 albums since then but much like his previous effort Still Rolling’ Up: Somethin’ to Ride With that dropped a couple summers ago, Devin is teaming up with Blyne Rob for his 11th full-length outing.

It all starts with the title track, where Devin talks about wanting the pandemic to end & go back on the road over a synth-funk instrumental. The next song “Discouraged” talks about life not being easy over a tranquil beat while the track “To Each His Own” talks about the rap game over a slow boom bap instrumental. The song “Nothin’ Really Just Chillin’” perfectly lives up to it’s name as Devin talks about relaxing over a druggy trap beat while the track “My Left Nut Itch” talks about sluts over a skeletal instrumental.

The song “Just Ridin’ By” with Big Pokey & Lil Keke finds the trio talking about pulling up into a party over a psychedelic beat while the track “You Got No Time to Play” gets romantic over a sensual instrumental. The song “He Don’t Have to Know” talks about infidelity over an acoustic beat while the track “P.L.A.N.S.A. (Please Leave A N****’s Shit Alone)” lyrically speaks for itself over a funky instrumental.

The song “A Good Woman” gives some romantic advise over an spacious beat while the track “High & Trippin’” with 14k sees the 2 talking about bugging out over an odd boom bap instrumental. The song “BREAK-fast” gets in his storytelling bag over a bluesy beat while the penultimate track “Live & Let Live” with Slim Thug & Scarface finds the 3 talking about learning how to take care of business over some heavy drums & some keyboards buried behind. The album ends with “We Smokin’”, where the Coughee Brothaz get together for a weed anthem backed by a bass-line & some bells.

Devin is one of the greatest to ever come out of H-Town & even in his 50s, he hasn’t lost a single step. His versatility & charisma are still stronger than ever whereas Blyne Rob cooks up some slick ass production for him.

Score: 3.5/5

Frazier Trill – Self-Titled review

Frazier Trill is a 31 year old rapper from Greenville, South Carolina who came onto my radar a couple years ago when Pi’erre Bourne signed him to his Interscope Records imprint SossHouse Records. However after a couple of features & singles under his belt, Frazier is ready to deliver his full-length debut with Pi’erre production from start to finish.

The album kicks off with “Evolution”, where Frazier talks about his growth over an eerie instrumental. The next song “Make a Way” talks about praying to make it out the hood alive over a cloudy beat while the track “Missing” with Bermuda Yae sees the 2 talking about murder over the exact same instrumental Famous Dex used for the intro of his 2018 debut album Dex Meets Dexter. The song “Me & My Dog” talks about living it up over some victorious horns while the track “Wat Else” flexes over a beat that I can picture being in a modern Mario game.

The song “Door Swang” with Jelly finds the 2 going back & forth about moving weight over a metaphysical instrumental while the track “Like This” talks about those who run their mouths over a frightening beat. The song “Start Over” talks about how he don’t play games over a mischievous instrumental while the track “Don’t Know the Half” talks about those who can’t understand over a shadowy beat. The penultimate song “Today” talks about riding with a thug over some prominent bells & then the album ends with “Bout Nun”, where Frazier talks about being fresh as shit over a delicate instrumental.

If anyone enjoyed The Wolf of Peachtree or Chavo’s World as much as I did, then I think you’re gonna enjoy this album as well. It’s a little too short only running at 26 & a half minutes, but Frazier does a good job at showing his potential as he’s at his hungriest lyrically whereas Pi’erre kills it behind the boards as he pretty much always does.

Score: 3.5/5

Substance810 – “Makin’ Waves” review

Substance810 is a 36 year old MC/producer from Port Huron, Michigan who first made his mark in 2006 with his full-length debut The Definition under his original moniker Tekneek. He released a sequel album The Definition Of the previous summer & then a debut EP Chess Pieces a couple months later but to continue the grind, the man returning with his 7th full-length album.

The intro talks about being a risk-taker over a soulful boom bap instrumental from Substance810 himself whereas the next track “Crude Dialog” with Squeegie O sees the 2 talking about giving it to ‘em raw over a suspenseful beat. “The Purist” with Estee Nack finds the duo talking about hearing nothing but bars over some funky bass & a wailing sample while the song “Invisible Lines” with Pee Tzu sees the 2 talking about just that over a spooky beat from Wavy da Ghawd.

The track “Upper Echelon” talks about having the vibe that you love over a calm, drumless instrumental while the song “Fortified” talks about having razor blades in his jaw over an doomsday-esque beat. The track “Poison White Darts” talks about being ahead of his time over a drumless, bleak instrumental while “The Procedure” with Ty Farris finds the 2 talking about jumping out the box over a boom bap beat with a gorgeous piano sample.

The song “Calculated Risks” talks about how there’s been a lot of talk over an alluring instrumental while the track “Nitrile Gloves” with Deuce Hennessy & Killy Shoot sees the trio talking about going bar for bar with sucka MCs over an organ-inflicted beat. The song “Epilogue” with Chuck Chan & Lupus Dei finds the 3 talking about what the mission is over some string samples & then the title track that finishes the album off talks about being the leader of the new school over a settle beat from Nicholas Craven.

Substance810 is one of the finest MCs/producers in Michigan right now & this is definitely no exception. Some of the features were kinda weak, but the songwriting only gets better with each project he drops & the production gets continually rawer too.

Score: 3.5/5

Insane Poetry – “Wicked Killagraphy” review

Insane Poetry is a horrorcore group from Los Angeles, California formed in 1988. The group originally had 5 members & released 2 albums in the 90’s, but has been spearheaded solely by it’s Day 1 frontman Cyco from 2003 onward. He has released a total of 5 albums since & has been signed to Lyrikal Snuff Productionz since late 2010. The last time we heard from Cyco on his own in a full-length capacity was 2017 with The Snuff Reels Director’s Cut: The Birth of Richard Hansen but after 4 years, he’s returning with the 8th album in the Insane Poetry catalogue.

After the “King Paimon’s Entrance” intro, the first song “Roadside Burial” talks about disposing a corpse on the side of the road over a devilish boom bap beat while the next track “Lair of the Cenobites” with Donnie Menace & James Joyce the Squatch finds the trio talking about what it’s like in the titular place over an uncanny instrumental. The song “Y.S.I.H.W.B.L. (You Suffering In Hell Will Be Legendary)” by M.M.M.F.D. lyrically needs no further explanation as the duo hop on top of a thrilling trap beat while the track “Dirty Gloves” talks about how he can’t ignore the voices in his head over a lugubrious instrumental from Devereaux.

The song “Cold Blood” with Shaw Monsta sees the 2 talking about murder over a fancy boom bap beat while the track “Memories of a Lost Soul” tells the story of a woman who had a very rough life & his best friend Lou over an earnest instrumental. The song “Devil in My Pen” with Damien Quinn & Smallz One finds the 3 talking about how evil their lyrics are over a solemn beat while the track “Books of Blood” talks about how tonight is the night to write in the titular objects over a boom bap instrumental with some evil keyboard melodies.

The song “I’m Possessed” of course talks about demonic posession over a celestial beat while the track “Hear No Evol” is a phenomonal fusion of horrorcore & metal declaring himself as the black equivalent to Smashing Pumpkins frontman & National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) owner Billy Corgan. The song “Before I Killed” talks about wanting to know his murder victim’s thoughts before committing the act over a nefarious beat whereas the next 2 tracks are decent remixes of “Cold Blooded” & Roadside Burial”. The album ends with “Hunt”, where M.M.M.F.D. reunite to trade bloodthirsty bars back & forth over an instrumental with some horror movie-like string sections.

Personally, I think this is the best album Insane Poetry has released since signing to LSP almost a decade ago. The production is grimy as to be expected & it’s just totally remarkable how the horrorcore pioneer hasn’t lost a step in terms in lyricism this deep in his career.

Score: 4/5