Evidence – “Weather or Not” review

A little over 4 years since his magnum opus Cats & Dogs, Dilated Peoples member Evidence finally delivering his 3rd full-length solo album & his 2nd with Rhymesayers Entertainment. The album starts off with “The Factory”, where he tells you that you’re rocking with the west over an eerie boom bap beat. The next song “Throw It All Away” gets inspirational over a somber beat from The Alchemist while the track “Powder Cocaine” sees him & Slug talking about internal conflict over a mellow vocal sample. The song “Jim Dean” vents about a slew of things to the listener over a boom bap beat from Nottz while the title track brags about his rapping prowess over a DJ Babu instrumental with some strings & explosive drums.

After the “Moving Too Fast” interlude, we then go into the next track “Runners”. Here, Ev & Defari go back & forth in battle rap mode over an explosive beat with a nice soul sample. The song “Bad Publicity” is another humble brag with some semi-dinky keys & hard hitting drums while the track “Rain Drops” gets insightful over a meditative instrumental. The song “Sell Me This Pen” sees the Step Brothers & Mach-Hommy talking about their talents over an eerie beat while the track “Love’s a Funny Thing” is Ev linking up with Rapsody & Styles P to talk about love over a boom bap beat with twinkling piano keys .

The song “10,000 Hours” touches down on his come up in the game over a gritty beat from none other than DJ Premier while the track “What I Need” gets reflective yet ambitious along with wanting to be remembered over a laidback beat. The song “To Make a Long Story Longer” continues talking his about his come-up over an explosive boom bap beat & the Jonwayne verse was just as much of an intriguing story. The penultimate track “Wonderful World” sees Ev & Rakaa getting on the motivational tip over an organ-laced boom bap beat & then the closer “By My Side Too” is an endearing soulful ode to his son & his breast cancer surviving wife.

So with the first month of 2018 drawing to close, Evidence does it justice by providing a serious contender for Best Album of the Year. It stays just as consistent as the predecessor throughout it’s 56 minute runtime, the production is organic of course & Evidence staying as equally focused along with pouring his heart out on just about every single track

Score: 4/5

SiR – “November” review

SiR is an R&B singer from Inglewood, California who’s been getting quite some attention lately. He signed with Top Dawg Entertainment last year & released his 2nd EP Her 2 just a couple weeks after. And now a year later, TDE announced out of the blue last week that SiR will be releasing his 2nd full-length album & major label debut to start their 2018.

After a 45 second spoken word intro, we then get into the first song “That’s Alright”. Here, he talks about his down to ride chick over a bass guitar & some drums. The next song “Something Foreign” with ScHoolboy Q sees the 2 talking about the lavish life over some jazzy piano chords while the track “D’Evils” talks about smoking weed over a mellow beat. The song “Something New” with Etta Bond is a duet about 2 lovers expressing their profound love for each other over a kickback instrumental & while the track “I Know” talks about a stripper, the way it’s executed is annoying.

The song “Never Home” raps about not answering his woman while he’s on the road over a super smooth beat & then the track “War” sings about him trying to win this woman over with a semi-jazzy beat. The song “Better” reflects on an ex over a spacey trap beat while the penultimate track “Dreaming of Me” vents about missing his woman over a frisky instrumental. The album then closes with “Summer in November”, which is pretty much is a sex tune with a super funky instrumental.

Overall, this might be SiR’s best work to date. His vocals have improved as did his songwriting & the production is absolutely beautiful. If you’re looking to get into the newest face of one of the hottest labels out right now, give this a listen

Score: 4/5

B-Movie Millionaires – “Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space” review

The B-Movie Millionaires are a duo from the United Kingdom consisting of Manchester, England emcee Black Josh alongside Runcorn, Cheshire emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott. Known for being members of the Cult of the Damned collective, these guys would make their eponymous debut in 2015 with an extended play containing guest appearances from their Cult brethren. However, they’ve decided to hold off on having features for their full-length studio debut & I felt like that was an appropriate move as much as I enjoyed self-titled.

After the intro, the first song “Coool Like Dat” breaks the door down with a boom bap instrumental talking about no one being to blame although it ain’t their fault whereas “Chicken Pill” works in a bell sample speaking of the real always recognizing real & those who know staying aware. “Sw£g Level 9000” talks about them being superhuman leading into “Cult Ho£gun” referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion & WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan.

“Camouflage Money” gets the 2nd half going talking about being miles away while “Hawaii” gives off a tropical boom bap vibe to the beat wanting everyone to put their hands in the air. “Whatchusayin” brings back the grit advising anyone approaching them to get to the point & after “River Phoenix” demonstrates some insane cinema wordplay, “Social Media” ends the Millionaires’ full-length debut talking about the negative effects sites like the Meta Platforms-owned Facebook has had on society as a whole.

Between this & of course the B-Movie Millionaires’ introductory EP, I’d say these guys slightly outdid themselves & believe they could make their best work if Black Josh & Lee Scott take some elements from both of their projects & combined them all for a potential sophomore effort. Sam Zircon’s production leans towards the traditional boom bap sound enhanced by Telemachus’ engineering & you get a better look at the chemistry between both members throughout Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space.

Score: 3.5/5

Camila Cabello – “Camila” review

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Camila Cabello is 20 year old singer/songwriter from Eastern Havana, Cuba who has been receiving quite a bit of attention in the pop scene for the past couple years now. She broke off from 5th Harmony in late 2016 & I first caught wind of her when she did a duet with MGK on his latest album bloom calmed “Bad Things”. But I personally found it to be diabetically lovey dovey & given that, I at first wasn’t really looking forward to hearing her solo debut right here. That was until I heard the singles off this thing & saw that Ging produced almost every track.

The album starts off with “Never Be the Same”, where Camila singing about being addicted to this man like a drug addict & the druggy yet tension building instrumental isn’t too bad either. The next track “All These Years” reflects on a breakup over a pretty acoustic instrumental while the song “She Loves Control” talks about a woman who wants things her way over a tropical instrumental.

“Havana” is a dedication to her hometown with some piano chords & thumping drums. Also, the Young Thug verse on here is a nice touch as well. The song “Inside Out” has a seductive tone to it lyrically, but it is catchy. Also, the sunny production from Cashmere Cat enhances this catchy vibe. The track “Consequences” talks about the results of breaking up with someone while the song “Real Friends” expresses Camila’s desire to find just that over a pretty piano passage.

“Something’s Gotta Give” is another breakup song & while the instrumental does have a nice build up as it progresses, but I don’t find it as intriguing as “Consequences”. The penultimate track “In the Dark” recalls an encounter she had with a famous John Doe & then the closer “Into It”, she sings about sex. Both of which contain wavy electro-esque instrumentals.

As a whole, I’m floored. I didn’t like her duets with Shawn Mendes or MGK at all, but this was a great listen. More than I expected it to be. Camila Cabello’s vocals have stepped up majorly, it sounds focused & actually very well-put together from the colorful, vibrant production to the solid songwriting. I was wrong about you, Camila. This is just the beginning of a very successful solo career & I can’t wait to see what you’re gonna do next

Score: 4/5

Maxo Kream – “Punken” review

Maxo Kream is a 27 year old rapper from Houston, Texas & after releasing 4 mixtapes within the past 6 years, he’s now delivering his full-length debut. The opener “Work” starts off with a short spoken word piece & after that, he reflects on his drug dealing days over a gritty trap beat. It then switches into something more ambitious near the end. The next song “Grannies” produced by MexikoDro vividly tells us what it was like for him growing up over a smooth bass-heavy beat while the track “Capeesh” with Trippie Redd sees the 2 talking about the trap philosophy over a druggy beat. The song “Bussdown” talks about the trap life over a banging instrumental whole the track “Hobbies” talks about the gangsta shit that he likes to do over a retro game-esque instrumental.

“Go” talks about his “young niggas” over an eerie instrumental, but I didn’t care all that much for the D. Flowers verse. “Beyoncé” talks about guns referencing former 3-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, 8-time WWE Tag Team Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, HOG Tag Team Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy over an ominous instrumental from Sonny Digital & then the song “Astrodome, Pt. 2” is a catchy sex tune with a laidback instrumental.

The track “Love Drugs” is basically about Maxo choosing drugs over his woman over an atmospheric instrumental & then the song “Pop Another” if you couldn’t tell by the title is about taking pills over a beautiful vocal sample in the background. “Janky” vents about people those who’ve turned his back on him over a bleak instrumental while the song “ATW” continues the same lyrical concept with a more mellow instrumental. The penultimate track “Roaches” reminiscing about his younger days over some gloomy keys & some heavy bass while the closer “5200” brags about his work ethic over a spacey trap beat.

I think we should watch out for what Maxo’s gonna do next, because this will make him into the next big name in trap music. The production is banging, his stories are compelling & they’re delivered so charismatically

Gucci Mane – “El Gato: The Human Glacier” review

With Christmas approaching 3 days from now, iconic trap rapper Gucci Mane is giving fans his 12th full-length album & he has enlisted 808 Mafia co-founder Southside. The album starts off with “Rich Ass Junkie”, where Gucci is talking about serving rich drug addicts over an gloomy trap beat. The next track ”Peepin’ Out the Blinds” talks about firing his gun at people over a sinister yet abrasive instrumental while the song “Dickriders” takes a jab at just those & the bass on here is thumping! The song “Mall” talks about people who wanna “buy his style” over an ominous beat & then the track “Side EFX” talks about people who turn evil over some organs along with some rattling hi-hats.

The song “T.Y.T. (Thick, Young, Tender)” talks about this how hot this woman, but the beat is a bit synthetic. The track “Sea Sick” is a fun party tune the whistling on here was a nice change of pace while the song “Smiling in the Drought” gets confrontational over a menacing beat. The song “El Gato’s Revenge” flaunts on the lifestyle of a drug dealer over an eerie instrumental while the penultimate track “Step Throat” gets braggadocious over an explosive instrumental. The album then closes with “Southside & Gucci” and while it’s only 1 minute long, the short verse Gucci delivers over this thunderous trap beat with a nice guitar sample. This is honestly just as great as Gucci’s 58th mixtape Droptopwop, which he did with Metro Boomin’ in Late May of this year. It’s been long overdue that we got Southside producing an album for GuWop, but their strong chemistry on here makes it worth it

Score: 3.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “SATURATION III” review

With 2017 drawing to a close, California based hip hop boyband BROCKHAMPTON is giving us their 3rd full-length album & the final installment of their highly acclaimed SATURATION trilogy. The album starts off with “BOOGIE”, where they’re talking about how they’re taking over the game & the instrumental from Romil Hemnani & Jabari Manwa will make you wanna throw a party. The next track “ZIPPER” talks about their continuing rise to fame & the beat is infectious as Hell. The song “JOHNNY” is basically the group going back & forth reflecting about them during their adolescence up until now & the jazzy horn sample is super dope. The track “LIQUID” talks about their individual rags to riches stories & the beat is super murky.

After the “CINEMA 1” skit, we then go into the next song “STUPID”. Here, they talk about not wanting boys to see what’s in their phones & the last 2 verses from Dom McLennon along with his brother & BROCKHAMPTON de facto leader Kevin Abstract fits it perfectly. The track “BLEACH” talks about their demons over a druggy instrumental (with the deepest verse coming from Ameer Vann) & then the song “ALASKA” talks about feelin’ brand new over some strings referencing Facebook founder & Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The synths during the hook are great as well. The track “HOTTIE” sees the group talking their consciouses & I absolutely love how JOBA goes back & forth with both Merlyn Wood & Matt Champion on here.

After the “CINEMA 2” skit, we then get into the next song “SISTER / NATION”. Where they talk about finding themselves & their days are coming to rubble over a beat that starts off abrasive yet noisy, but then transitions into something spacey. The track “RENTAL” essentially tackles the idea of the collective losing it all & the beat from Romil alongside Q3 is pretty spacey. The penultimate song “STAINS” expresses their gratefulness of where they are now over a Neptunes-esque instrumental. After the “CINEMA 3” skit, we then go into the closer “TEAM”. It starts off with bearface. singing over a guitar, but then it changes into something more funky as the other members go back & forth with each other as they get semi-political.

As expected, BROCKHAMPTON finished the SATURATION trilogy the way they started it: near perfectly. The production is more experimental & it’s a bit more introspective. Can’t wait to see what they’re gonna do on their 4th album Team Effort in 2018

Score: 4.5/5

NER*D – “NO_ONE EVER REALLY DIES” review

A little over 7 years after their last album Nothing, Virginia funk-rock band N*E*R*D are returning with their 5th full-length album. The opener “Lemon” talks about hate while making a bunch of political references over an hyphy beat & Pharrell’s performance is super catchy, but Rihanna blatantly rips off Cardi B in her rap verse that it’s painfully underwhelming. The next song “Deep Down Body Thrust” tells all the choke artists that they won’t get away over a funk rock instrumental kin to the band’s 2004 sophomore album Fly or Die. The track “Voila” with Wale sees the 2 getting motivational over a funky guitar, but then it transitions into something more tropical during Wale’s verse. However, I’m a little disappointed Gucci Mane only does the hook.

The song “1,000” may have a decent Future verse in the middle of it, Pharrell & Shay Haley make up for it with their energetically delivered braggadocio lyrics. Also, the beat is thumping! Especially the drop a little bit after the 2 minute mark. The track “Don’t Do It” speaks on police brutality over a mellow instrumental & the Kendrick Lamar verse fits in perfectly. The song “ESP” touches down on the 3rd eye over a video-gamey beat & while the track “Lightning Fire Magic Prayer” continues the spirituality theme from the last song over an instrumental that fits the vibe. Especially during the switch up during the second half.

The song “Rollinem 7’s” with André 3000 vents about being black men in the entertainment industry/modern American society over a trippy beat while “Kites” with Kendrick & M.I.A. talks about unity over a bouncy dance beat. The penultimate track “Secret Life of Tigers” gets rebellious over another infectious dance beat & then the album closes with “Lifting You”, which is a positive celebratory weed anthem over a fitting reggae beat.

Honestly, this could very well be my Album of the Year. It’s well produced, the vocals are on point & it’s their most well-written since Fly or Die

Score: 4.5/5

Eminem – “RƎVIVAL” review

After cleverly promoting it for the past month or so with the fake-drug ads, renown Detroit hip hop superstar Eminem is finally giving fans with his 9th full-length album. The opener “Walk on Water” vents about the struggles he’s had for the best decade or so over a gospel like-piano instrumental from Rick Rubin. The song “Believe” pretty much asks the listeners if they would turn their backs on him over a piano & some awkward snares. The flow is pretty uninteresting as well.

The track “Chloraspetic” gets braggadocious about his rapping prowess over a trap beat from mR. pOrTeR, but the parts where he bites Migos flow is absolutely embarrassing. The song “Untouchable” intelligently talks about racial injustice, but the production on here was just ok & it didn’t need to be 6 minutes long. And on top of that, the “white boy white boy, you’re a rock star” hook is God awful. However, the second half of this is much better than the rap rock-tinged first half. The track “River” talks about a failing relationship over a guitar & after an unnecessary skit preluding the next song “Remind Me”, we get the actual song & it’s sickeningly lovey dovey. Especially with the cheesy “I Love Rock & Roll” sample that’s used throughout a bulk of the track & the corny ass lines like “Your booty is heavy duty like diarrhea” & “you’re smoking like Snoop Dogg”.

After the “Revival” interlude, we then go into the next song “Like Home”. Here, Eminem is dissing Donald Trump over an uplifting instrumental & the Alicia Keys hook is just ok. The track “Bad Husband” is an open apology letter to Em’s ex-wife Kim Mathers over a somber beat & the X Ambasadors hook is mediocre. The track “Tragic Endings” sees Em being pushed around by a manipulative lover over an abrasive beat & while “Framed” goes back to his horrorcore roots with an eerie beat, the hook is annoying.

The song “Nowhere Fast” gets reflective about the younger days over string-induced trap beat & the Kehlani hook doesn’t help at all. The track “Heat” talks about this chick who he thinks is as vile as his RELAPSƎ album from 2009 & the beat is almost the same as “So Far…” off his last album The Marshall Mathers LP 2. The song “Offended” takes a jab at all the naysayers & while the verses & the beat aren’t too bad, the interpolation of “The Knife Game Song” is drab. The track “Need Me” feels more like a P!nk song than an Eminem song given that Em only appears at the end & almost as unbearably sappy as “Revenge” off of P!nk’s latest album Beautiful Drama.

The song “In Your Head” talks about his famous alter ego Slim Shady & The Cranberries sample actually works well. The penultimate track “Castle” sees Em writing 3 different letters to his daughter Hailie in 1995, 1996 & 2007 respectively & it’s absolutely touching. The closer “Arose” talks about his overdose in 2008 & his output since then over an ambitious instrumental, but he literally “rewinds it” to the final verse from the previous song “Castle” during the last minute & a half & it ruins the vibe.

Overall, this is Eminem’s worst album yet. He still has it lyrically, but he needs better features. He needs better production. He needs to stop making some tracks drag on longer than they should’ve. I really had hope that this would be a consistently great album, but I‘m gonna have to accept that poppy Eminem is here to stay forever

Score: 1/5

Juicy J – “Rubba Band Business” review

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Just 3 months after the release of his fantastic $uicideboy$ produced Highly Intoxicated mixtape, 3 6 Mafia co-founder Juicy J is finally delivering his 4th full-length album. After the 39 second intro, we get into the first song “Feed the Streets”. Here, J gets with his brother Project Pat alongside A$AP Rocky to talk about doing just that over a sinister trap beat from Metro Boomin’. The next song “A Couple” talks about doing drugs & having sex with hoes over an eerie instrumental from Tarentino while “Buckets” charismatically brags about ballin’ on your bitch at the club over a haunting beat from 808 Mafia co-founder Lex Luger. The song “Dodgin’ the Snakes” jabs at all the haters with a beat from YK fits that the mood perfectly & while I can appreciate the track “Drop a Bag” dissing all the studio gangsters, the G-O-D feature was mediocre to me. The song “Too Many” with Denzel Curry speaks on doing a large amount of drugs over an atmospheric instrumental from Murda Beatz.

The track “Ain’t Nothing” sees J & his TGOD Mafia cohort Wiz Khalifa getting braggadocious over a banging instrumental from Mike WiLL-Made It, but I wasn’t crazy about the Ty$ hook. The song “Flood Watch” talks about the trap life over a piano-trap beat from TM88 & the Offset verse isn’t too bad either. The track “Only One Up” will make you wanna right someone from the abrasive YK beat to Juicy’s energetic performance. The song “Hot as Hell” sees Juicy feeling himself a little too much over a generic trap beat while the penultimate track “No English” talks about getting fucked up over a wild instrumental from Lex Luger & TM88. The Travi$ Scott hook here is pretty decent as well. The closer “On & On” left little to be desired, primarily because it feels more like an leftover from Belly’s latest mixtape Mumble Rap.

Overall, this was well worth the 4 year wait. There are some weak moments, but the production bangs & Juicy sounds energetic as ever for the most part