Janelle Monáe – “Dirty Computer” review

Almost 5 years after delivered her last modern classic The Electric Lady, modern R&B creative genius Janelle Monáe is finally returning with her 3rd full-length album. Things start off with the title track, where she sings about her man picking her up from the ground over some harmonious background vocals. The next song “Crazy, Classic, Life” talks about wanting to live her life over a bouncy atmospheric instrumental while the track “Take a Byte” gets playful over a synth-funk instrumental. After the “Jane’s Dream” skit, we go into the song “Screwed”. Here, Janelle & Zoë Kravitz sing about partying over a spacey yet bouncy beat. The track “Django Jane” is a full-blown rap song about feminism with a moody beat while the song “Pynk” continues these feminists themes with a fantastic interpolation of the classic Aerosmith song “Pink”.

The track “Make Me Feel” talks about bisexuality over a Prince-like instrumental while the song “I Got the Juice” with Pharrell sees the 2 getting freaky over a bouncy beat from Skateboard P himself. The track “I Like That” is basically Janelle addressing the rumors of her sexuality over a luscious trap beat while the song “Don’t Judge Me” expresses concern of her man only loving her for her disguise over a settle instrumental. After the “Stevie’s Dream” interlude, we then go into the penultimate track “So Afraid”. Here, Janelle expresses her fear of loving this man over an acoustic yet druggy instrumental. The album then finishes off with “Americans”, where Janelle gets conscious over a beat that’ll make you wanna dance.

As a whole, this is yet another damn near perfect album from one of the most creative forces in R&B today. The production is beautiful, it’s well written & it sounds immensely focused as ever before

Score: 4.5/5

Coops – “No Brainer” review

Here we have the 4th studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Coops. Introducing himself in 2013 off his full-length debut What Do You See? to mixed reception, the sophomore effort Lost Soul would be more positively received & the last album God Complex at the beginning of the previous year would be released to moderate feedback although it did catch the attention of High Focus Records. The latter wound up signing Coops & he’s ready to make his official debut under the historic Hove, East Sussex underground imprint with a No Brainer.

“Timing” starts us off hopping over a cloudy, self-produced trap instrumental talking about pissing on all of his enemies & getting money whereas “Dreams (All Mine)” takes a moodier vibe to the beat wanting to hear the love of his life moaning when he shouldn’t be calling her whatsoever. The 3rd single “What You Want” psychedelically promises his girl that he’ll tell her everything she’d like to hear leading into “Wrongs & Rights” talking about how he’s never known an ordinary life because he’s an extraordinaire.

Meanwhile on “Heartbreaker”, we have Coops over these pianos & hi-hats from Talos admitting that he should’ve warned this woman from the get go of him being good at breaking hearts just before the 4th & final single “Jetpack” talks about not wanting to stay broke because he comes from absolutely nothing. “L.O.V.E.” goes for a synth-heavier vibe instrumentally asking if those listening can feel the melodies prior to the 2nd single “Bob Dylan”cautions he’ll still kill anyone he doesn’t like despite chillin’ like a villain.

“Mac n’ Cheese” continues to delve deeper down the 2nd half No Brainer returning to the boom bap trying to feed some of that good ol’ fashioned soul food to the public & nobody doing this music shit the way he can but after “Respect” jazzily suggests that those around him should learn & show admiration towards his musical accomplishments in the past 5 years, “Think About It” vividly details him having 3rd degree heartburns due to a woman he’s no longer speaking to stealing his heart like it was a burglary.

The song “Constellations” continues to discuss the themes of love knowing this person would find their way similarly to an asteroid hurdling itself towards the globe while “Pass the Mic” featuring Fliptrix, Leaf Dog & ReXx finds the quartet over a vintage boom bap beat trading hardcore bars with each other, with Flip & Leaf’s contributions sticking out more than ReXx’s in my opinion. The lead single “That Jazz” closes by combining jazz rap & boom bap saving some of the most charismatic performances for last.

Showcasing the versatility of Coops’ craft containing many sounds & moods over the course of 41 minutes, No Brainer represents the different approaches when he was creating his High Focus debut nearly reaching the same caliber of Lost Soul in addition to offering a little something for everyone & displaying everything which makes him a good signing for the label. The production ranges from more experimentally modern soundscapes to hardcore traditional boom bap & Coops himself travels beyond the mundane in favor of uncharted territories.

Score: 3.5/5

Eric the Red – “Caught Red Handed” review

This is the full-length debut album from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Eric the Red. Known for being the brother of Illinformed & Real Life Drama Records co-founder Leaf Dog of The 4 Owls, he would also become 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP in addition to forming his own label Lost Scroll Records on Halloween 2016. His compositional solo EP Basement Blues dropped in 2016 & the In My Element beat tape followed, teaming with Illinformed in getting Caught Red Handed.

“Redrum” opens up with a jazz rap intro talking about his liver getting fucked up from drinking too much alcohol whereas “Eyes Open” featuring Datkid & Joey Paro of the Split Prophets brings the trio together so they can aggressively play the upper hand. “Mr. Paranoid” goes for a boom bap vibe instrumentally talking about his own personal experiences of paranoia leading into the crooning “Lift Off” speaking of going around the galaxy & nebula.

Bill Shakes joins Eric on “Lah Lah Lah” ruggedly suggesting to run far if both of them come walking down your street & after the “Raid” skit, “Omen” embraces a bluesy boom bap atmosphere talking about him watching shit unfold from the blinds when they weren’t expecting it. “Limbo” keeps the kicks & snares in tact speaking of being in a state of intermediate uncertainty showing some occasionally jazzy undertones while “Sleepless Nights” soulfully gets in his bag as a storyteller describing an evening around his parts.

“Burning” featuring Leaf Dog links up over a violin observing the state of the world while “Mankind” talks about never knowing what you’ll find awaiting your fate. “Track & Walls” dedicates itself to hip hop’s oldest element in graffiti writing while “Year of the Snake” blends jazz rap & boom bap suggesting maybe it’s time for him to break out because of what he initially perceived 2018 to be. “Analogy” ends the LP incorporating heavy organs talking about returning with a new similarity.

In My Element proved to be a solid introduction to Eric the Red’s artistic dexterity since he fully produced that project all by himself, but Illinformed has already built up an impressive repertoire behind the boards throughout the 2010s & unsurprisingly helps his brother surpass that tape. Illinformed remains amongst the most consistent beatsmiths in the jazz rap/boom bap fields of the decade & Eric lyrically goes a lot harder than he did 7 months prior.

Score: 4/5

J. Cole – “K.O.D.” review

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With his last album 4 Your Eyez Only being delivered at the end of 2016 & then doing a few features since then, North Carolina rapper/producer J. Cole unexpectedly announced a free show in New York this past Monday. It was there that he performed his 5th full-length album in it’s entirety & went on Twitter shortly after the show to announce that it was coming out for everyone else this weekend. After an intro, we go into the title track. Here, Cole gets in your face about people cramping his style as well as responding to the people saying he should have more features over a murky instrumental. The track “Photograph” has a lame topic about trying to hook up with a random girl he found on social media over a guitar/trap beat while the song “The Cut Off” talks about a disloyal woman over a somber beat.

The track “ATM” energetically talks about his fame & wealth over a laidback beat while the song “Motiv8” talks about moving on despite having all these demons over some funky bass. The track “Kevin’s Heart” goes into the point of view of a drug addict over a smooth trap beat, but it’s really corny to me. The song “Brackets” talks about his success over a smooth beat & the track “Once an Addict” talks about his mother’s alcoholism over a settle beat. The song “Friends” is basically him pouring his heart out to a drug-addicted friend of his over a gloomy beat while the penultimate track “Window Pain” talks about everything he wants over an atmospheric instrumental. The album closes with “1985” sees Cole is reflecting on his whole life up until this point over a vibraphone-boom bap beat.

While this is definitely better than Cole’s last album, that’s not really saying much. The production & the concept aren’t too bad, but his singing voice & the hooks ruin it for me. I really had hope that J. Cole would bounce back given his features on the new Jeezy album Pressure & the upcoming Royce da 5’9” album Book of Ryan but at the end of the day, this is just another mixed bag for me

Score: 3/5

Stevie Stone & JL – “Kontra-Band” review

With the release of Stevie Stone‘s 5th album Level Up & JL‘s Strange Music debut DIBKIS last summer, the 2 are now coming together for a full-length collab album. Things start off with “Groomed by the Block”, where the duo talk about their come up over an eerie instrumental. However, the PHresher verse at the tail-end was pretty generic to me. The next song “Lessons” talks about learning from all their losses in life over a laidback trap beat while the track “Trappin’ On the Hill” reflects on their drug dealing days over a gritty instrumental. The song “Too High Today” is a weed anthem with a gloomy trap beat from Seven & the track “She’s So Fly” is a decent love tune with a reggae-inspired instrumental.

The song “I Was Ready” sees the 2 going back & forth about being prepared for the feds over a piano instrumental while the track “Envy” is a message to their haters over some a cloudy backdrop with some rattling hi-hats. The song “Not One of Them” with Tech N9ne sees the 3 talking about hoes over a gloomy beat & the track “Boss Sauce” gets braggadocious over some monstrous bass. The song “Miles Davis” with Joey Cool sees the 3 ambitiously talking about success & the MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 instrumental is ok too, but the hook is too repetitive for me.

The track “Pluto” talks about realizing someone wasn’t who they thought they were over a spacey beat from Suli4Q & while the song “Cautious” is an aggressive & rapidly delivered message to the haters, the Flawless Real Talk verse is just average. The track “Bad Habits” with Krizz Kaliko talks about how everything will be ok in the end over some bass with a piano in the background & the Navé Monjo hook isn’t too bad either. The standard edition closer “Only a Man” is a reflection of where the duo are at now with a beautiful Adrian Truth hook & Suli4Q instrumental while the pre-order track “What You Gon’ Do” gets braggadocious over an haunting instrumental.

While I wasn’t expecting this, I did enjoy the album at the end of the day. Some of the features could’ve been better but the production mostly bangs, the song topics are delivered passionately & there’s quite a bit of chemistry between Stevie Stone’s huskiness & JL’s charismatic yet sharp lyricism. If they ever decide to make a follow-up in the future, then I’d be all for it

Score: 3.5/5

Del the Funky Homosapien – “Gate 13” review

With the surprise release of Iller Than Most on New Year’s Day 2014, Hieroglyphics leader Del the Funky Homosapien is finally returning with his 13th full-length album & he has enlisted former Zion I producer Amp Live to produce it in it’s entirety. After the intro, we go into the first song “Wheel of Fortune”. Here, Del spits some battle bars & flows perfectly over an ominous beat. However, the 30-second reggae beat switch up was just alright. The next track “The Glow” gets braggadocious over a beat over an laidback beat while the song “Gravy Train” is a diss to wack rappers over a funky beat & the sax at the end is beautiful. After the “Funkrolla 3.0” skit, we go into the song “Run Free”. Here, Del vividly tells a story of following some gangsters over a jazzy beat.

The track “Help” gets insightful over a somber beat & a beautiful hook while the song “Humble Pie” recalls a high school bully over a rap rock beat. After the “Far Away” skit, we get into the song “Far Beyond”. Here, Del & Zyme get confrontational over a spacey beat. The song “Chili Sauce” has a flawless synth-funk instrumental, but Del hardly appears on it. After the “Funkrolla 4.0” skit, we go into the song “Sit Ya Ass Down”. Here, we get more charismatic battle bars over a funky beat. The track “On the Ball” with Eligh sees the 2 bragging how they’re better MCs over a bouncy-synth beat & the penultimate track “Get Some of Dis” gets playful over a retro video game-esque instrumental. The album finishes with “Laternal Thinking”, which is just a spacey instrumental.

As soon as I first heard about this at Hiero Day 2017, I already knew this was gonna be dope. It’s nice to see Del the Funky Homosapien bring another producer in the fold for the first time in a minute & Amp Live was definitely a right choice. Del himself even sounds a lot more focused & his lyricism is sharper than ever before

Score: 4/5

Tinashe – “Joyride” review

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It’s been 3 years of waiting & 2 years since preluding it with Nightride in 2016 but now, Tinashe is finally delivering her highly anticipated sophomore album. After a 1-minute intro, we go into the first song with the title track. It’s pretty much about kickin’ it with an ex over a thumping electronic instrumental from Hit-Boy. The song “No Drama” with Offset sees the 2 talking about how they don’t want any bs over an electro-trap beat while “He Don’t Want It” is pretty self-explanatory with a moody instrumental with some punchy drums.

The track “Ooh La La” is about a guy loving her so good that she’ll be singing all night over an acoustic guitar/trap beat with a surprisingly nice “Dilemma” sample in the background while the song “Me So Bad” is basically about how attractive Tinashe is over a tropical beat & while I did enjoy the Ty$ verse, I found French Montana’s to be redundant. After the “Ain’t Good for Ya” interlude, we go into the song “Stuck with Me”. It’s both Tinashe & Little Dragon singing about having this guy with him for the weekend, but the instrumental is just ok.

Then after the “Go Easy on Me” interlude, we go into the song “Salt”. It’s basically about a guy who had sex with her at a hotel & left her shortly after over an atmospheric instrumental. The track “Faded Love” is about Tinashe wanting a guy to come home with her to have sex over an electro-club instrumental & the Future verse at the back-end is just ok. The song “No Contest” is about Tinashe wanting only her in her man’s lane over a smooth electro instrumental & then the closer “Fire & Flames” is about wanting to stay the night with this guy over a bare piano that sounds pretty.

As a whole, I was as satisfied as I’d hoped to be. I wish it was a tad bit longer, but her vocals sound as beautiful as ever & the album as a whole sounds a lot more focused than Nightride was

Score: 3.5/5

Cult of the Damned – “Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate” review

This is the full-length studio debut from England, United Kingdom collective the Cult of the Damned consisting of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Introducing themselves as the Children of the Damned’s spiritual successor in 2015 with an eponymous debut EP, they’re picking up right where they left off on Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate.

“Part 2” begins with a boom bap sequel to the intro of the Cult’s self-titled extended play produced by Dr. Zygote where most of the members are asking if one knows which way to take at an intersection whereas “Salt Water” by the B-Movie Millionaires, Salar & Swamp Harbour references WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T over a Sam Zircon instrumental.

BeTheGun, Lee Scott, Sly Moon & the Super Sag Bros all appear on “No Explanation” demanding everyone respects them just before Bill Shakes & Tony Broke trade verses over a Reklews beat during “The Usual” referencing UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer. “From the Depths” has an eerier boom bap vibe instrumentally dismantling anyone who wants to step up to them in a battle leading into “Never No” brings Bill Shakes, Hock Tu Down, King Grubb, Milkavelli & Salar together talk about those who don’t know the deal with the Cult by now never knowing.

“Nicole” gets the other half of the LP going making their own version of “Triumph” dropping 7 verses without the need of a hook while “Civilized” dustily talks about waiting at the top. “Connect 4” finds the Antiheroes joining Bill Shakes & King Grubb for a chorus-less hardcore hip hop track but after “Coffee” has Bisk tagging in for Grubb & the Mcabre Brothers replacing the Antiheroes cautioning people will learn who they are once they start smoking again, “Bad Card” spends the last 4 minutes giving straight bars over a rugged boom bap beat.

Making a broader extension of their self-titled debut EP after I had graduated from high school, the Cult of the Damned dives deeper into their universe making sure all of the wide range of side projects that’ve formed before & after the Children of the Damned’s merger with Cult Mountain are included. The boom bap production contains more elements of grime than their 2015 introduction did albeit to a much lesser extent & lyrically, they’re cementing themselves as one of the most unstoppable forces in all of UK hip hop.

Score: 4.5/5

Flatbush ZOMBiES – “Vacation in Hell” review

A little over 2 years after the release of their debut album 3001: A Laced Odyssey, Beast Coast subgroup Flatbush ZOMBiES are finally returning with their sophomore full-length album. The album starts off with “HELL-O”, where they talk about how they came up & how they’re moving on with their newfound fame over an eerie beat. The next song “Chunky” sees Erick Arc Elliott & Zombie Juice talking about standing for something over a & leading the youth over a settle trap instrumental from Erick while the track “Vacation” with Joey Bada$$ is a fun celebratory anthem about making it while the track M. Bison talks about winning over a decent trap beat.

The song “Headstone” is filled with creative references to some of the trio’s influences over a gritty instrumental & while “Big Shrimp” talks about sex over a banging Kirk Knight beat, the hook is just alright. The song “Leather Symphony” with A$AP 12vy gets braggadocious over some piano keys & handclaps referencing 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena along with WWE Hall of Famers The 4 Horsemen while the track “Reel Girls” with Bun B gets sexual over some prominent drums.

The track “Facts” with Jadakiss is filled with battle bars over some keys & punchy drums while the song “Ask Courtney” is a reminder that love hurts over an atmospheric trap beat. The track “Crown” is about real music winning & their destinies over a druggy beat with a faint organ while the song “Proxies” gets ambitious over some creepy choir vocals. The track “U&I” sees the trio getting introspective over a smooth instrumental while “The Goddess” talks about the type of ladies they’re into including a reference to 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair over a laid-back boom bap beat.

The track “Trapped” is a beautiful love tune with a mellow acoustic guitar while the song “Best American” gets conscious over an atmospheric instrumental. The song “Misunderstood” is about self-destruction over a twangy guitar & hard hitting drums while the penultimate track “YouAreMySunshine” is a Meechy Darko solo cut that pays homage to the late A$AP Mob founder A$AP Yams over some somber keyboards. The album finishes with “The Glory”, where the trio get with Denzel Curry to tell you that they want you to succeed & the instrumental sets the tone perfectly.

While I was initially worried about the album being incosistent, the ZOMBiES proved me wrong at the end. The production is banging as always & their content on here is a lot stronger than before

Score: 4/5

Kool Keith – “Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation” review

Almost 22 years after the release of his classic 1996 solo debut Dr. Octagonecologyst & then the mediocre Return of Dr. Octagon in 2006, Ultramagnetic MCs member Kool Keith is making his 20th album over here an official sequel to his solo debut. This time, he has re-enlisted Dan the Automator to produce it & DJ Qbert to do the scratches.

The album starts off with “Octagon Octagon”, which is basically about the Dr.’s return with some creepy choir vocals in the background. The next song “Polka Dots” is filled with battle bars over a druggy beat while the track “Black Hole Son” talks about his operating methods over a eerie beat. The song “Power of the World (S Curls)” gets conscious over gritty rap rock beat while the track “Operation 0” sees Keith comparing himself over an atmospheric beat. The song “Bear Witness IV” is a turntablism tune that serves as a sequel to “Bear Witness” from Dr. Octagonecologyst & it’s just as great as the original.

The track “Area 54” gets raunchy over a fun instrumental & the song “Flying Waterbed” is a love profession with a laidback jazzy beat. The track “3030 Mets the Doc” pretty much speaks for itself & I think there’s actually quite a bit of chemistry between Keith & Del the Funky Homosapien. The penultimate “Karma Sutra” gets sexual over rap metal beat & the closer “Hollywood Tailswinging” talks about how he runs the boulevard over a thunderous beat.

While I never thought an official Dr. Octagonecologyst sequel would see the day, this was near-perfect. Kool Keith, Dan the Automator & DJ Qbert all managed to recapture every aspect of the first album flawlessly from the bizarre lyricism to the eclectic production

Score: 5/5