Gang Starr – “One of the Best Yet” review

Gang Starr is a revered East Coast hip hop duo consisting of Guru & DJ Premier. Before disbanding in 2006 as well as Guru’s death in 2010, the 2 have made a name of themselves with arguably one of the greatest discographies in hip hop history. But with the 10 year anniversary of Guru’s passing coming up in 5 months, Premier has decided to commemorate him with 1 last album under the Gang Starr name.

After the “Sure Shot” intro, we go into the first song “Lights Out”. Where Guru & M.O.P. get bloodthirsty over an explosive piano-inflicted beat. The track “Bad Name” disses wack rappers over a soulful boom bap beat while the song “Hit Man” with Q-Tip sees the 2 comparing themselves to assassins over a gritty beat.

The track “What’s Real” with PRhyme finds both Guru & Royce da 5’9″ defining their versions of real over an instrumental that sounds like Moment of Truth era Gang Starr & after the “Keith Casim Elam” interlude, the song “From a Distance” with Jeru the Damaja sees the 2 reclaiming their prowesses over an orchestral boom bap beat.

The track “Family & Loyalty” with J. Cole finds the 2 talking about diamonds over a luxurious beat while the song “Get Together” with Nitty Scott sees the 2 getting romantic over a slow instrumental. After the “NYGz/GS 183rd” interlude, the song “So Many Rappers” talks about the rap game over a tense instrumental.

The track “Business or Art” with Talib Kweli sees the 2 talking about the industry over a haunting beat, but the next song “Bring It Back Here” is so short that it really shouldn’t have been placed on here. After the titular interlude, the penultimate track “Take Flight” is a cutthroat installment of Gang Starr’s “Militia” series. Then the closer “Bless the Mic” finds Guru flawlessly showing off his skills 1 last time.

I’m not a big fan of posthumous albums, but this is one of the better ones out there. Guru’s unreleased verses are well incorporated as are the features & DJ Premier continues to show that he’s one of the best producers in hip hop history.

Score: 4/5

Kanye West – “Jesus is King” review

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Kanye West is a Chicago, Illinois icon that really needs no introduction at this point. From his polarizing public image to his damn near flawless discography, the man has really made a continuous & undeniable impact on hip hop within the past 15 years. However throughout 2019, Kanye has been going around the world with his newly formed gospel-rap outfit Sunday Service performing gospel songs & covers of his discography for an hour. But after teasing fans with listening parties for his 9th full-length album for the past month, he’s actually dropping it worldwide.

The album begins with “Every Hour”, where the Sunday Service choir sing about how we always need God over a bare piano instrumental. The next song the track “Selah” talks about looking back & reflecting upon over an organ while the track Follow God” finds Ye encouraging the listener to find a higher power over a College Dropout-esque instrumental.

“Closed on Sunday” makes painfully corny references to Chick-fil-A over a Timbaland instrumental starting off with an acoustic guitar & later switching up into something more minimalist & ominous while the track “On God” uses the titular expression to address his current well-being along with his past comments on the 13th amendment over a Graduation-inspired instrumental from Pi’erre Bourne.

The song “Everything We Need” by ¥$ & Ant Clemons sees the 3 talking about switching their attitudes over an trap beat co-produced by FNZ, Ronny J & Mike Dean with an organ in the background while the track “Water” with Ant finds the 2 talking about purity over a somewhat funky instrumental co-produced by Timbaland. The song “God Is” sings about how the Lord is victorious & gives him power over a soulful instrumental while the track “Hands On” talks about religion being more prominent in Ye’s life over an intoxicating instrumental.

“Use This Gospel” is pretty much a full blown Clipse reunion as Kanye only does the hook, but I’ll take it. Pusha T & No Malice both talk about seeking forgiveness like they never left over some plinky keys, but the sax solo from Kenny G was unexpectedly good. The album then finishes off with “Jesus is Lord”, where Kanye of course sings about his newfound love for Christ himself over some horns.

While I myself am not the biggest fan of gospel music, this is an underwhelming experience. Kanye truly sounds like he’s legitimately happy & finally at peace with himself in comparison to his last 3 albums, but the mixing is absolutely terrible. The closest he did to patching it up like he did with The Life of Pablo back in 2016 was the Dr. Dre remix of the album & that’s significantly better.

Score: 2/5

Black Moon – “Rise of da Moon” review

Black Moon is a highly regarded hip hop trio consisting of Buckshot, 5ft & DJ Evil D. Their 1993 debut Enta da Stage would go on to become a hip hop essential & despite their 1999 sophomore effort War Zone not being as acclaimed, it was still solid. Last time we heard from the group was in 2003 with Total Eclipse & all these years later, they’re making a comeback with their 4th full-length album.

The album kicks off with “Creep wit Me”, where Buckshot & 5ft both go at their competition over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat. “Da Don Flow” reclaims Buckshot’s prowess over a slaughterous instrumental while the track “Ahaaa” talks about cops over a g-funk/boom bap fusion. The song “Pop Off” flexes their skills over a boom bap beat with some gloomy horns throughout while the track “Ease Back” with Method Man & Steele go at their naysayers over a vibraphone inflicted boom bap beat.

The song “Impossible” with Smif-n-Wessun talks about how they can’t be stopped over a gritty instrumental while the track “Black Moon Rise” talks about their comeback over a funky beat. The song “Children of the Night” with Rock talks about what goes on during the midnight hours of the hood over orchestral boom bap beat while the track “Glory” makes numerous references to the color black over a mellow instrumental.

The song “General Feva” is a vicious 5ft solo cut while the track “Look at Them” talks about people tryna rob the group over a rhythmic bass-like & some haunting strings. The song “At Night” finds Buckshot & 5ft trading bars back & forth over a somber organ-inflicted beat while the song “Payback” talks about getting money over a funky beat. The penultimate track “Roll wit Me” with Tek gets romantic over a slick boom bap beat & then the closer “Time Flys” gets reflective over a jazzy instrumental.

This is a fantastic return from one of the hardest East Coast groups of all-time. You can really tell the trio all seem really happy to be back together as it really sounds like they never left from the deadly lyricism to the grimy production. Here’s to them hopefully dropping more efforts together in the future.

Score: 4/5

clipping. – “There Existed an Addiction to Blood” review

clipping. is an experimental hip hop trio from Los Angeles, California consisting of Daveed Diggs on the mic as well as William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes both on production. They first came together in 2013 with their midcity mixtape, which eventually landed them a contract with Sub Pop Records & the label granting them a full-length debut the following year. However I didn’t completely hop on board with these guys until their Deathbomb Arc debut Splendor & Misery in 2016, which is a fantastic sci-fi odyssey. 3 years have since passed & the trio are coming back out of the shadows with their 3rd full-length album.

After the intro, we go into the first song “Nothing is Safe”. Where Daveed talks about the cops raiding a drug house over a darksynth beat that later incorporates some rattling hi-hats during the final hook. The track “He Dead” talks about being chased by the cops over a dark ambient instrumental & after the “Haunting” interlude, the song “La Mala Ordina” with Benny the Butcher & Elcamino of all people talks about the glorification of gangs in hip hop over an a dissonant beat.

The track “Club Down” talks about a venue being closed early over a paranormal instrumental & after the “Prophecy” interlude, the song “Run for Your Life” talks about being chased by a psychotic woman with La Chat providing a fantastic closing verse from her perspective over a beat that starts off minimal, but turns into a trunk knocker when La Chat comes in. The Show” paints a vivid picture of this red room that Daveed has found himself in over some electronics that tune in & out like a transmitter but after the “Possession” interlude, “All in Your Head” contains a great pimping/demonic possession metaphor in the lyrics albeit a pretty weak song structure.

The track “Blood of the Fang” speaks on racism over an industrial beat while the song “Story 7” tells the tale of a woman named Cynthia over a glitchy instrumental. The penultimate track “Attunement” provides food for thought over a chaotic instrumental & then the closer “Piano Burning” is literally the sound of a piano being engulfed in flames for 18 minutes.

This is a damn near perfect album just in time for the Halloween season. The interludes are just ok but the storytelling is vivid, the instrumentals are a lot darker & the guests are very well incorporated into the concept. Their best work to date, in my opinion.

Score: 4.5/5

Elcamino – “Where’s My Pyrex?” review

This is the sophomore album from 26 year old Buffalo, New York emcee & singer Elcamino. I first caught wind of him in November 2017 when he dropped his self-titled EP with Griselda Records. This was followed up by his debut mixtape Walking on Water last August along with his debut album Don’t Eat the Fruit & his DJ Shay produced sophomore EP Lott & Abraham, both of which dropped earlier this year. But if that wasn’t enough, Camino has decided to team up with Netherlands producer Oh Jay for his sophomore full-length album.

After the “We Can Never Die” intro, the first song “Back & Forth”. Where Camino & Duffel Bag Hottie show off a great chemistry over a sweet yet skeletal instrumental. The track “Bullets from Opps” brags over a haunting beat while the song “Bottom to Bottom” with Milano Constantine sees the 2 talking about coming from nothing over some vibraphones. The track “Crack on Broadway” talks about drug dealing over a boom bap beat with some pretty keyboards while “The Night Shift” gets back with Duffel Bag Hottie & while I like the smooth instrumental, the rapping from both MCs isn’t as captivating as it was on “Back & Forth”.

After the “I Know Him” interlude, the song “Change Spots” with 38 Spesh sees the 2 getting mafioso over a blaxploitation-esque instrumental & then the penultimate track “Ghetto Symphony” with Che Noir both talk about their experiences in the hood over a lush instrumental. The album then finishes off with “Wash My Sins Away”, where Elcamino continues to brag over a nondescript instrumental.

Compared to his previous projects, this was just alright to me. The instrumentals are a lot more mellower which isn’t necessarily a bad thing & even though there are some deadly verses on here, the rapping is pretty cumbersome this time around. That being said, I’m still looking forward to Elcamino 2 whenever it drops.

Score: 3/5

CMPND – “Eagle Court” review

CMPND is a hip hop trio from Brighton, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom consisting of Kemastry, Wundrop & Vitamin G. All 3 of which are lyricists in their own right & Wundrop in particular being their in-house producer. Introducing themselves 6 months previously, the group has already been making enough waves to the point where the historic Hove underground imprint High Focus Records agreeably realizing they’d be a great for the label & signed them in time for their full-length studio debut album to arrive a month after Zack Sabre Jr. ended 棚橋弘至’s reign as RPW British Heavyweight Champion.

The title track produced by none other than Wundrop talking about what it was like for them growing up in the very housing complex that made CMPND who they are whereas the 3rd & final single “E.W.A. (Eagles With Attitude)” gives middle fingers to the feds, including an awesome shoutout to Jeru the Damaja too. “Solid Air” has a more hypnotic trap vibe instrumentally talking about being more sinful than symbols just before “Whatuplayin@” acknowledges the word around the streets of their greatness.

“Illeagle Court” featuring Hutch shifts towards a cloudy boom bap direction to the beat cautioning that shit really goes down around their neck of the woods leading into “Home Runs” featuring Verbz marking the first of 2 appearances from the latter admitting that they still can’t find peace out in the streets. “U Know We Fly” talks about being crazier than Warner Bros.’ flagship franchise Looney Tunes while “Arjun Robben” ends the 1st half boasting to be the Ps who don’t do Qs.

Kicking off the 3rd quarter, “Dusty Ivory” returns to the boom bap confessing they shouldn’t rule the world because of the self-awareness of barely being responsible for their own actions while “Flight 370” dissects the Malaysia Airlines Flight in March of 2014 that infamously disappeared. “Instant Wins” gives off secondary influences of psychedelic music down to the slurred chorus talking about being ahead of the pack while “Paraphrase” featuring Verbz finds themselves keeping their heads above the hemisphere.

“Silence in Court” begins Eagle Court’s final leg explain explaining that we’re all corpses of our former selves in the grand scheme of things yearning for new lungs & company while “Purpatrait” talks about breaking rules despite not playing games. “Hindenburg” featuring Dirty Dike, Fliptrix, HERBiCiDE, Nuphzed & Stinkin’ Slumrok comes together for a 7 minute posse cut where Dike, the High Focus CEO himself & Slumrok shine the most while “Days to Daze” ends with an introspectively soulful outro.

Taking the title of CMPND’s inaugural LP after the blocks of flats all 3 members met & grew up together, these guys bring a whole new vision & aesthetic to the forefront devoid of outside distractions & influences only marking the beginning of a bright future under High Focus Records. Whether it be Wundrop’s production influenced by boom bap as well as grime & UK drill in addition to his critical social commentary or Vitamin G’s multi-syllables & Kemastry’s unpredictability, the new era of UK hip hop has already arrived.

Score: 4/5

Danny Brown – “uknowhatimsayin¿” review

Danny Brown is a 38 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan that got his start as a member of the Rese’vor Dogs in the mid-2000s. He would go onto form the Bruiser Brigade in 2010, dropping his debut album The Hybrid the same year. This resulted in him signing with Fool’s Gold Records & delivering a near perfect sophomore effort XXX the next year, which was followed up with Old in 2013 as well as his 2016 magnum opus & Warp Records debut Atrocity Exhibition. Fast forward 3 years later, he’s delivering his highly-anticipated 5th full-length album & has brought on Q-Tip to oversee it.

“Change Up” talks about never selling out over a hypnotic instrumental from longtime collaborator Paul White while the next track “Theme Song” is a dedication to the suckas over a gorgeously weapy strong sample. The song “Dirty Laundry” showcases his clever lyricism over an off-kilter instrumental from Q-Tip while the track “3 Tearz” with Run the Jewels gets careless over a psychedelic instrumental from JPEGMAFIA.

The song “Belly of the Beast” talks about drug use over a misty instrumental that later builds up as suspenseful near the end of the final verse while the track “Savage Nomad” talks about going at his competition over an Alchemist-inspired instrumental from Playa Haze.

“Best Life” talks about living good over a boom bap beat sampling Tommy McGee’s “To Make You Happy” while the title track talks about keeping it moving over a disco-esque instrumental. The song “Negro Spiritual” not only finds Danny charismatically showing off over a funky instrumental from Flying Lotus & Thundercat, but Peggy does the best Pharrell impression ever on the hook.

The penultimate track “Shine” talks about getting what’s his over a gargantuan boom bap beat & then the closer “Combat” with both Q-Tip & Consequence finds the 3 talking about how all 3 of them have come a long way over some jazzy horns.

While this obviously isn’t a masterpiece like Atrocity Exhibition, it’s still a fantastic album. It’s pretty much a more mature version of The Hybrid with grander production & you can really hear how much Danny’s pen game has stepped up since then.

Score: 4.5/5

Dr. Syntax – “Wallop” review

London, England, United Kingdom producer Pete Cannon handling the beats for Banbury, North Oxfordshire emcee Dr. Syntax’ 8th studio LP. Notable for co-fronting The Mouse Outfit, the latter made his solo debut Self Taught in 2003 followed by 5 more full-lengths along with a mixtape & 4 extended plays. Personal favorites include the Pitch 92-produced Evidence, Killer Combo!, Elaborate Anoraks & Let’s Talk. All of which Pete Cannon solely produced, so him coming back behind the boards for Wallop wasn’t too much of a shock.

“Fine” begins talking about being content with the way everything’s going over a boom bap instrumental whereas “Right About Now” featuring Joe Burn aggressively finds the pair getting impulsive on top of this UK drill beat. “Life Force” brings the kicks & snares back in effect suggesting those on the same vibe as him are either reading his thoughts or sharing his exact entity prior to “Classic in the Making” jazzily talking about the chemistry he & Pete have.

Illaman saves my favorite guest verse for “Differently”, discussing how both of them are unique beasts of their own category just before the dance-inspired “Body” kicks off the 2nd half making a bunch of references to the human anatomy for 109 seconds. “Mayhem” continues from there boasting jewels & a group of individuals wilding out for the night finding out the hard way while “Do What U Like” featuring Dubbul O talks about engaging in things that bring us joy.

“Somnambulant” featuring Riksi decently links up so they can get on their A-game & seizing the day regardless of whether it’s been good or bad while “Killah” goes for an EDM direction advising any opponent who wants to step up in a battle to improve their game considering that he’ll send muhfuckas back to school. The title track appropriately ties up all loose ends with a somber trap mood instrumentally talking about the impossibility of being unimpressed by what they’re doing.

Not only does Pete Cannon’s production feel varied throughout the half hour compared to what he & Dr. Syntax have previously done, but so does the subject matter & that’s an important factor in what makes Wallop a suitable experience regardless of the fact they’ve already given us 3 consecutive bangers over the course of 5 years. I however would disagree with putting Let’s Talk above it & the features occasionally stood out.

Score: 3.5/5

Joey Cool – “Old Habits Die Hard” review No

Joey Cool is a 33 year old rapper from Kansas City, Missouri that first gained attention as a long-time affiliate of local independent hip hop powerhouse Strange Music, releasing a total of 4 mixtapes & a studio album on his own before Tech N9ne decided to officially sign him to the Snake & Bat just about 2 years ago. He made his official Strange debut last May with his self-titled sophomore effort & as we approach the last quarter of this decade is coming around the corner, he’s back with his 3rd full-length album.

It all kicks off with “King Coolie”, which talks about his newfound success where some luxurious keyboards from Burna Music. The next song “Turn It Down” flexes over a dark beat from Leonard DStroy while the track “Pieces of Me” talks about being broken over a gloomy beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7. The title track talks about maturity over a downtempo electro beat while the song “I Got Dat” talks about the things he has over an atmospheric beat.

“‘Til Further Notice” with Krizz Kaliko sees the 2 claiming their spots to the throne over a grimy trap beat while the song “C.w.d.B. (Coolie wit da Bitches)” speaks for itself over a banger beat. After the “Put the Swank On It” interlude, the track “Come On” is a rowdy club banger while the song “Stop That” with King Iso sees the 2 going at studio gangsters over some twinkling bells & heavy bass.

The track “Decisions, Decisions” gets self-explanatory lyrically over a psychedelic beat Kato while the song “Remedial” with JL finds the 2 claiming themselves to be just that over a gritty instrumental. The track “Speak on It” with Emilio Rojas sees the 2 telling their naysayers to talk smack to their faces over a moody trap beat from Suli4Q while the song “Bye Now” is basically Joey saying he ain’t got tolerance for foolishness over a keyboard instrumental from Info Gates.

“I Can’t Remember” with UBI sees the 2 talking to this chick they thought they saw at the club the night before referencing 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 woozy instrumental while the song “Above Average” with Maez301 sees the 2 getting lavish over a blissful beat. The track “Throw It” with Godemis finds the 2 tossing dollars & getting laid over an abrasive beat while the song “Head Case” with Stevie Stone sees the 2 wanting all the smoke over a somber beat with some rubbery bass.

The track “You Ain’t Know” talks about being in the middle of the map over a cavernous beat while the song “Bet It All” with Tech N9ne, JL & Zoo gets celebratory over a hyphy beat. The album then finishes with “Violent Contradictions”, where Joey pours his heart out over some low ranged piano chords.

Personally, this is tied with the self-titled album as Joey’s best work yet. In contrast the previous album being a proper introduction to a wider audience, he comes off as more mature this time around & I really welcome & respect that of him.

Score: 3.5/5

Skyzoo – “Retropolitan” review

Skyzoo is a 36 year old MC from Brooklyn, New York that first gained attention in 2006 with his 9th Wonder debut album Cloud 9: The 3 Day High. This was followed up in 2009 with The Salvation & then the !llmind produced Live from the Tape Deck the following year. Then after taking 2011 off, he came back with his 3rd & final Duck Down album A Dream Deferred. Zoo would go on to form his own label First Generation Rich Inc. & make his debut on there with Music for My Friends in 2015. He would then drop the Apollo Brown produced The Easy Truth under Mello Music Group the following year, but would go back to dropping projects on FGR at the beginning of last year with In Celebration of Us. But almost 2 years later, he’s teaming up with MMG once again for his 8th full-length album & has enlisted the revered Pete Rock to produce it from front to back.

After the “Men Like Us” intro, we go into the first song “Glorious”. Where talks about how he’s just that over a boom bap beat with a soul sample & some horns. The track “Truck Jewels” with Pete sees the 2 getting fly over a woodwind infused instrumental & the song “Carry the Tradition” with Styles P lyrically needs no further explanation, but I really like the claps in the beat a lot.

The track “Homegrown” talks about keeping it just that over a funky instrumental while the song “It’s All Good” is a positivity anthem with an instrumental that was made during the illmatic sessions. The track “10 Days” finds Rich Porter talking to Azie over a euphoric instrumental while the song “Richie” is vice versa over a boom bap beat with some keyboards.

The track “Penny Jerseys” reflects on his block over the same sample that Gang Starr used for “The Planet” while the song “1 Time” finds Zoo paying homage to a number of things over a smooth beat. The penultimate track “Eastern Conference All-Stars” with eLZhi & Griselda Records is an triumphantly epic posse cut & then the album ends with “The Audacity of Dope”, where Sky comes through with a bar-fest over a soulful boom bap beat.

Personally, this is the man’s best work to date. You can really tell that he & Pete Rock took their time in crafting a near perfect love letter/wakeup call to NYC & a nonchalant chemistry.

Score: 4.5/5