Verb T – “To Love a Phantom” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee Verb T running it back with Vic Grimes for his 14th studio LP under High Focus Records. Most notable for being a member of The 4 Owls, he’s also been carving a path of his own for nearly 2 decades putting out over a dozen LPs & 8 EPs in that span of time. I didn’t care for Restoration as much as The Tower Where the Phantom Lives & the same can be said regarding both Homer Loan & it’s sequel, hoping To Love a Phantom would continue the momentum of it’s predecessor ahead of Jay Joshua becoming the new RPW British Heavyweight Champion along with the longest reigning RPW British Women’s Champion ending the current champion Mercedes Moné’s reign & Joe Lando being crowned the new RPW British Cruiserweight Champion respectively this past week.

We get a somber boom bap instrumental all over the intro “Through the Wall” talking about moving more cautiously whereas “Introvert” describes a man who consistently lies with a straight because the facts are hysterical. “Illusion of Self” featuring BVA & Farma G brings the trio together so they can talk about the very thing they’ve seen many people fall victim to just before “Absorbing Imagery” captures pieces of his soul within the screen of this machine he’s lost in.

“Distraction” brings a bit of a funkier vibe to the beat making his opponents fall backwards after zapping their energy leading into “See the Truth” featuring Leaf Dog goes for a boom bap vibe once again hoping that everybody listening has all of their doubts erased & becomes proud of who they genuinely are. “Change” featuring Verbz stays in the basement instrumentally refusing to freeze when the pressure hits while “Motivation, Pt. 2” featuring Karizz finds the pair asking what their motives are.

Nearing the end of the 1st half, “Alien Concept” talks about having to shake things up to create a distance from a group of people whose conscious has been invaded by a foreign idea while the vibraphone-inflicted “No Expression” featuring Scorzayzee & Teach Em discusses their expressionlessly deadly statures. “Adrenaline” featuring Beano hops over some horns to talk about feelin’ like their hearts have been displaced while “Suspense & Tension” featuring Harry Shotta & Jah Digga describes a situation overcome with those 2 emotions.

“To Kill a Phantom” begins the 2nd act with a funkier beat talking about a ghost-hunting woman who stays stalkin’ on the ghost train while “Not There” speaks of his presence being felt even when he isn’t around at all. “Anti-Stress” talks about building himself up from ruins & not letting anyone tell him he can’t do it while “1,000 Features 2” fully colors the sketch of dreams he’s been drawing, only for his sorrow to be interrupted by the thought of his squad’s gratitude.

Vic hooks up some jazzy pianos during “Swerve a Lot” talking about being way too avoidant lately only for a switch-up to occur midway through while the laidback “By Myself” describes what it’s like whenever he’s alone. “Minimal” featuring Truemendous talks about both of them trying to take a more scarce approach to their lifestyles while “Don’t Waste Time Rushing” featuring Jayahadadream tackles the idea of making every minute count.

“Prior to Existence” smoothly advises the crowd of people whose souls have been crushed to say whatever they want as long as one learns to control their own noise after “Bring It All Together returns to the boom bap with some horns talking about combining fractured pieces, “Late to School” featuring Donkobz swaps out the horns in favor strings breaking down a gravitational pull they experienced that forced them to make a move.

The song “Rejuvenate” featuring Fliptrix starts To Love a Phantom’s final moments fusing jazz rap & boom bap talking about healing through the body, mind & soul while “Everything” featuring Isaiah Dreads explains that things around us were always meant to be connected. “Phantom Laugh” finishes up Verb’s best offering in a couple years trying to figure out if the echoing laughs of a ghost are actually a memory haunting him & the only thing he learned was to never conform.

Noticeably more ambitious than The Tower Where the Phantom Lives was a couple years earlier, Verb T bounces back from Restoration & both installments of the Homer Loan series’ averageness with a sequel to his greatest 2020s offering for an adventurous double full-length. Blurring the everyday with the supernatural conceptually, the cast of UK underground guests including the other 3 members of The 4 Owls all add their own distinctive flare to the wider narrative & Vic Grimes’ production marks a huge improvement over Verb’s recent extended plays.

Score: 4/5

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Sugar Cherry – “Land of Pine” review

Sugar Cherry a.k.a. Rozey is a rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Detroit, Michigan now based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who began as an emo trap metal rapper on SoundCloud under his original Lil Rozey moniker & became 1/2 of the duo Plastic Dagger alongside ITSOKTOCRY. He would later drop an electronic ambient EP in 2023 called sugarcherrykisses, going for an indie folk direction for Isn’t It Wonderful? as well as It Was Almost You & the self-titled EP later that same year. Death Trap came out this past spring & Anything Instead of Anything celebrated Halloween with a brief collection of shoegazey goth rock cuts, signing to Quadeca’s very own Virgin Music imprint X8 Music for what has been described as Sugar Cherry’s only studio album on my 29th birthday.

“Every Knife in the House is Mine” begins with a lo-fi indie folk opener singing about missing warm summer days & for people to gather around the picnic whereas “Heaven” gives off a more prominently compositional tone aside from a few occasional lines working in these fuzzy piano chords to wish he was at the pearly gates with the person he has in mind. “It’s Her Moon” goes back to a lo-fi indie folk direction singing about a woman in his life who had passed a week earlier while “Irish” takes the loner folk route wishing that summer would come to an end.

The downer folk influences get amplified on “In a Lonely Place” singing about this person finding a reason to move forward & that he hasn’t just before “I’ve Known for a While” takes the slacker rock route hoping that it isn’t the last time he sees the one he wants to get away with for an unspecified period of time asking if it really matters when he’s already dead. “The Detroit Strangler” blends loner folk & indie rock together for a 91 second single sampling the Paramount Skydance Corporation’s faithful adaption of Revolutionary Road for the outro while the violin-heavy “Flowers (When You Come Home)” sings about blood moving slower his partner’s home.

“Bird Violence” continued with an indie/loner folk crossover wanting his lover to know she’s all he needs & the distancing between them taking a toll on his mental state while “Veins” compares his love interest to heroin, returning to the shoegaze sound that was all over Anything Instead of Anything nearly 6 weeks ago. “I Just Want You to Like Me” would have to be the weakest link if I had to pick 1 mostly due to it’s incredibly receptive approach to songwriting. “Beautiful World” sings about feeling like a ghost for the past 7 days getting fed up with being sick & alone when he awakes in the morning while “If I Come Home” trades off between a chorus & an instrumental breakdown.

As for “Heroin”, we have more elements of wombadelia being incorporated singing about crying for the last time & an individual who he thought was safe until they came his way while “Somehow a Part of Me Still Thinks You’re Coming Home Because In My Dreams I Got to Kiss You Goodbye” addressing someone he wants to see soon even if he can’t. “Surf David Surf” sings about the same old trick he plays on his that he’s been sobering up & doing well when none of those things are accurate while “October Sky” depressingly assures a deceased colleague he’ll join them when it’s time.

“Et Je Vous Montrerais Les Feux” continues the loner folk atmosphere wanting be loved in the midst of him trying to maintain his sobriety while “10,000 Pines” officially wraps up the LP in the form of this an 8 & a half minute ambient outro with a lo-fi edge to it. “A Killer” starts the deluxe run telling a friend named Darren that his life’s been falling apart, buying a gun for the sole purpose of murdering every last one of his friends in cold blood while “Sugar” admits to being unsure regarding whether or not he’ll have the ability of reuniting with a loved one in heaven.

Moving on from there, “Oh God” turns up the shoegaze undertones freaking out on the floor over the realization that he had let down an individual that he wants back in his life while “Scottish” sings about fleeing to the Scotland region of the United Kingdom or the country of Ireland only because he had planned on doing so with a woman who can’t be here with him presently. “Even If the Sky Turns Black” promises his soulmate that he’ll go to rehab again & get clean off drugs for hopefully the last time only for her sake while the slacker rock/outsider folk fusion “Shoobie” recalls seeing his late girlfriend by the Oceanside staring in one another’s eyes.

“The Way You Live” somberly sings about being unable to live without his partner as evident when she walked away while “The Great Big Fire in the Sky” likens his love for this woman to the usage of heroin, becoming self-aware of her hating the person he’s become & injecting her in his veins if he had the opportunity. The indie rock-flavored “Change (It Must Be)” sings about something in his life needing to be switched up while “Smiley” could’ve easily been combined with the previous cut serving as more of an interlude from my perspective.

Influences of loner folk bleed heavier during the single “On October 14, 2021, I Visited Lake Michigan & Saw My Own Reflection Staring Back at Me Drowning in the Water” confessing that he doesn’t know whether he’s in Hell or something closer to it while “I Can’t Feel You When You’re High” addresses a person he doesn’t recognize anymore, hating their own body as much as he hates his own. The final bonus track “Dog Food (Fall Time)” suiting for the season of autumn expressing true hatred for a junkie’s new friends.

With the exception of 3 newly recorded tracks, Land of Pine most likely concludes Sugar Cherry’s music career by making his own version of Minor Threat’s complete discography compilation after 6 years in the making & I say that because most of the full-length’s material has already been previously released as singles or originally appearing on Rozey’s earlier EPs like Isn’t It Wonderful? or self-titled. You might’ve also noticed almost all of his previous output has been scrubbed off the internet and it only makes this collection of singer/songwriter, indie folk, loner folk, tape music, slacker rock, shoegaze, dream pop & bedroom pop songs more poignant slowly pulling the layers back of his artistic growth from the late 2010s to now.

Score: 4.5/5

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Out Of/Into – “Motion II” review

Out Of/Into is a post-bop quintet consisting of pianist Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, drummer Kendrick Scott & bassist Matt Brewer. Forming in the winter of 2023, they would go on to introduce themselves last winter in the form of their full-length studio debut album Motion under the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records & are celebrating it’s upcoming 1-year anniversary this weekend by getting back together for an official sophomore effort succeeding Gerald’s love letter to turntablism 1s & 2s in April.

“Brothers in Arms” opens the 2nd LP with an 8 minute post-bop single having The Blue Note Quintet jamming out & everybody getting their own solos whereas “Finding Ways” gives off a laidback vibe from the prominent saxophone to the vibraphones popping up midway through or the pianos towards the backend of it. “Juno” starts with some bass licks for the first 90 seconds or so, paving way for Immanuel & Joel to trade the spotlight with one another.

Were treated to the 2nd & final single “Familiar Route” to start the other half of Out Of/Into’s sequel to their introductory full-length, taking inspiration from my favorite Herbie Hancock’s 5th album & my personal favorite during his Blue Note tenure Maiden Voyage. “The Catalyst” continues Motion II’s last act by giving off an otherworldly atmosphere until switching into something more playfully catchy & “Nacho Supreme” feels like a love letter to Blue Note output 5 decades earlier.

Developed during a 40 date tour commemorating the 85th anniversary of Blue Note Records’ formation a year earlier, the successor to Out Of/Into’s inaugural opus expands on the direction it’s predecessor traveled down 52 weeks earlier reaching farther than they did when the quintet was properly introduced last winter shaping the future of the post-bop style & jazz music altogether by continuing to embody the spirit of what the finest in the genre has done for almost a century.

Score: 4/5

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Erick Sermon – “Dynamic Duos” review

Islip, New York emcee/producer Erick Sermon taking a backseat vocally for his 9th LP. A member of the duo EPMD & the trio Def Squad, it was’t until the early/mid 90s where he made his solo debut No Pressure & followed with a sophomore effort Double or Nothing under Def Jam Recordings. Following the DreamWorks Records-backed Erick Onasis as well as Music & React under J Records, he contemplated retiring in the summer of 2004 with Chilltown, New York under Universal Music Group. He fortunately made a flawed yet solid comeback over a decade later with E.S.P. (Erick Sermon’s Perception) & his last album Vernia was a great tribute to his late grandmother, but he’s ready to roll out the Dynamic Duos trilogy.

After the intro, the lead single “Look at ‘Em” by Method Man & Redman begins with them talking about their whole crews going off over a ghostly instrumental whereas “Sidewalk Executives” by M.O.P. works in a soul sample to proclaim administrative status of their home turf. “Like That” by WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg takes a funkier route to spit playful romance & after the “Maya Crockett” skit, “God Mode” by Conway the Machine & The Game links up to talk about their verses being scriptures.

“How Do You Know?” by Cypress Hill goes for a boom bap vibe cautioning that nobody want the purple haze smoke from them while “How Long?” by Public Enemy brings back the funk shifting from hardcore lyricism to the politically relevant subject matter they’ve always been known for. EPMD get a song of their own with “Test Me” daring for their opposition to try them & see what happens but after the “Pimp Gators” skit, “The City” by Tha Dogg Pound represents the west coast.

The song “Spectacle” by Heltah Skeltah blends soul & funk talking about making the music world experience something incredible while “No Gimmicks” featuring 38 Spesh with Da Youngfellaz on the remix finds the quartet reminding us all that they remain authentic. Prior to the outro, “Back 2 the Party” by Salt-n-Pepa finishes with the recently inducted Rock & Roll Hall of Famers smoothly getting nostalgic over the days of block parties.

Focusing more on the production side of things, Dynamic Duos marks the 1st time since the insomnia compilation under Interscope Records almost 3 decades ago where Erick Sermon lets a list of guest performers shine on the mic although he does drop a couple verses here & there. And it’s no surprise that the inaugural entry of this series has great potential to be his greatest material honoring some of hip hop’s most iconic groups & duos.

Score: 4.5/5

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Infinite Coles – “Sweetface Killah” review

Infinite Coles is a 33 year old singer/songwriter & rapper from Staten Island, New York notable for being the son of one of hip hop’s greatest storytellers: Ghostface Killah from the almighty Wu-Tang Clan. He’s also the brother of both Sun God from the Theodore Unit & of course Supreme-Intelligence, putting out an alternative R&B extended play in the fall of 2021 called Destiny to moderate reception. He made headlines a few months ago when the title track to his full-length studio debut album right here dropped, which went viral because of Infinite airing out his grievances towards his father for disowning him after coming out to him over a decade ago.

After the previously mentioned breakout single, “DMs” continues by singing over a house instrumental that he’ll give the man of his eye anything he wants whereas “Boots” featuring Julz & Maleigh Zan on the remix takes the hip house/ballroom route stylistically challenging anyone who wants to go up against them. “Shoot” finds himself singing over house production again warning he’ll call his siblings if this gunman pull the trigger on him until “Thankful” goes full gospel expressing his gratitude.

“Dad & I” after the “Why’s It Important?” interlude continues to delve deep into Infinite’s relationship with Ghostface while “Body Song” sings over a bare piano getting in his gospel bag again. “Mama Song” moves on with a heartfelt tribute to Infinite’s mother & after the “Different Kind of Rain” interlude, “BGM” goes for a soulful house vibe singing about this woman with a soul like the sun. The closer “Hummingbird” sends it all off with a moody ode to his lover working it for him.

It’s a shame albeit not really that surprising to hear that Starks doesn’t want anything to do with Infinite Coles because of his sexual orientation, but the latter uses Sweetface Killah to carve a stylistic path that’s a lot different than what his father & his siblings are all known for. Its production tends to be more based around both contemporary & alternative R&B, progressive soul, pop rap, ballroom, hip hop soul, dance-pop, hardcore hip hop, house & gospel introducing the world to an alter ego that was created by the homophobia that surrounded him.

Score: 3.5/5

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TM88 – “F.I.L.A. (Forever I Love Atlanta) 25” review

TM88 is a 38 year old producer & songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia known for being a founding member of the 808 Mafia alongside Lex Luger & Southside respectively. He would also form the TGOD Mafia trio with rappers Juicy J & Wiz Khalifa in addition to producing Lil Uzi Vert’s biggest hit: “XO Tour Llif3”. However in light him forming his very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint Crash Dummy Records, one of trap music’s greatest beatsmith has celebrated with his own debut album.

After the “Vet Radio” skit, “Juiceman” by OJ da Juiceman co-produced by Zaytoven begins comparing his wrist to Fruity Pebbles whereas “Wrong with That” by Jose Guapo & Quez finds the 2 talking about a shawty who wants to fuck their partners. “B.A.B. (Break a Bitch)” by Tracy T breaks the law down to become a boss just before “Layers” by iMcFli references Tubi, the home network of the WWE’s secondary development brand EVOLVE.

“Grady Baby” by Yung Ralph gives the world insight in regards to what things where like for him growing up as an 80s baby while “Return of Church” by Mucho flexes that he sent a freaky hoe to H-Town coming off a jet. “Quadruple” by Futuretalks about sleepin’ with women in 4s off of nothin’ leading into “Friday Night” by iMcFli, Luchee Mulan & Quez sampling “Issa Party” by Jose Guapo, Shad da God & Young Dro to recall how they used to spend their Friday evenings.

DJ Spinz gets behind the boards for “Lies” by Baby D & Travis Porter bridging together the crunk & futuristic swag eras while “Make Em Get the Money Right 25” by Pastor Troy serving as a spiritual successor to the D.S.G.B. track off their final album ‘Til Death Do Us Part. “Ice Cream Truck” by Travis Porter throws it back to the futuristic swag days again while “Extra” by Shad da God talking about having his old shit with him.

“Kick In (Oww)” by Fabo of D4L starts the 2nd half explaining that he’s experienced some shit in his life because of being born in the hatred while “Shake Sum” by Travis Porter & 2 Chainz comes together for an ATL strip club heater. Fabo returns with Moneymyface so they can get “Geeked Up” together to mixed results while “I Want That” by Sosotrap talks about being anything but average throughout his career.

Preceding the “Crash Out Radio” skit, “B.D.A. (Bounce Dat Ass) by 4Batz’ wife Anycia continues to channel that strip club energy handling a sole verse wedged between a repetitive Waka Flocka Flame hook while “Take It Away” by T.I. & Young Dro talks about their respective legacies. “What’s This?” by T.I. & 2 Chainz links up to speak of materialism while “Stuff Man” by Yung L.A. could be his dopest song since “Ain’t I”.

“Twin Bruddaz” by Waka Flocka Flame talks about feelin’ a way he hasn’t felt since Slim Dunkin’ was murdered during my freshman year of high school while the “F.I.LA. (Forever I Love Atlanta) Tribute” by Blanco Brown finishes in the form of this passionately sung dedication to Trouble, Bankroll Fresh, Rich Homie Quan, Young Scooter & Takeoff. Maybe the greatest song of his career considering that a great deal of his music isn’t for me at all.

Being a genuine fan of TM88’s production work ever since my adolescence, hearing that he was putting out an entire LP containing other artists performing over his beats from start to finish had me excited from when it was announced because I believe he could curate something special if he wanted to. F.I.L.A. (Forever I Love Atlanta) 25 however has me a little divided due to the inconsistency amongst the guest & most importantly, parts reminiscent of Metro Boomin’s 2nd mixtape A Futuristic Summa & Jermaine Dupri’s 3rd album Magic City.

Score: 3/5

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ILLtemper – “Paxil Rose” review

ILLtemper is a 36 year old MC from Trevose, Pennsylvania establishing himself for over a decade within the underground wicked shit scene by releasing a total of 8 EPs & 10 full-lengths. He’s also notable for being 1/2 of the Even Heathens with King Gordy, who also make up 2/5 of the Wic Kids. For his 11th album however, it marks his debut for Lyrikal Snuff Productionz only a few months after the Heathens made their LSP debut with Handful of Cancel & had me hoping it would become an important statement amongst the rest of his solo output.

After the “INTROvert” intro, the 1st song “Stayed the Same” produced by J Reno somberly begins talking about being a lost one who was never found whereas the title track compares himself to Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose except he’s taking antidepressants. “The Used” by the Even Heathens hops over a bluesy boom bap instrumental talking about not ruining other people because you’re a cunt leading into “Pitch Blackness” admits to feeling like everything’s darkening around him.

Stir Crazy jumps behind the boards for the rock/boom bap crossover “Felt” taking a more heartfelt approach to the songwriting telling anyone who thinks he’s stronger than this would be sorely mistaken while “Losers” featuring Jakprogresso talks about always being failures swapping the guitars out for pianos. “Games” brings these Atari-like synthesizers with kicks & snares suggesting that Mario should stop saving the Princess while “Ain’t Right” advises to think twice prior to taking your own life.

“Unease” featuring Killator comes out the gate with a rock sample panicking like they’re looking at the current state of the stock market while “Nice Guy” talks about the nicest people dying alone over another rock/boom bap fusion. “Orange Bottles” heads for a summery trap direction talking about taking paxil anymore & after “In Your Eyes” suggests he should play hardball, “Dear Ronnie” finishes with a tearjerking open letter to himself.

It’s not something that I’ve publicly disclosed, but I personally have been taking Paxil ever since I was in grade school & hearing ILLtemper making a whole entire body of work dedicated to his experiences with it whilst likening himself as a rockstar makes his Lyrikal Snuff Productionz debut arguably the greatest solo effort of his entire discography. The production maintains the consistency of Handful of Cancel & ILLtemper conceptually takes us all on a trip into the world of mental health medications.

Score: 4/5

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Esham – “The Golden Age” review

This is the 24th studio LP from Detroit emcee/producer & Reel Life Productions founder Esham. Widely acknowledged as the godfather of horrorcore alongside his former Natas cohorts Mastamind & the late TNT, his run from 1989-2005 (particularly the albums KKKill the Fetus, Closed Casket & Doubelievengod?) would go on to lay out the groundwork for subsequent horrorcore acts such as the Insane Clown Posse & even Eminem. His output from Sacrificial Lambz onwards (essentially after his 2-album deal with Psychopathic Records from 02-05) has been a little hit or miss even though I love the single “S.S.M.D. (Stop Selling Me Drugs)” & Dichotomy respectively. Psyops however was a creative detour for Esham as he self-produced the whole thing for the first time in what seemed like a while conceptually revolving around what it was like for him living in Minneapolis during the George Floyd protests & a more rap rock inspired sound. He escaped Purgatory & preluded The Golden Age by serving up his 8th EP Amuse-Bouche, ushering the new era in 17 months later.

“The Golden Hour” sets up shop talking about rappers with no hope needing to cleanse their souls & introducing me to Count Tracula whereas “Power of Love” incorporates a vintage self-produced instrumental explaining that you don’t really want war with him. “CEO Killer” talks about hating liars & thieves more than being on welfare when he was growing up leading into “30 Gucci Purses” admitting he has no regrets of the amount of cash he’s spent.

Meanwhile on “Rain Drop”, we have Esham bringing back the boom bap vibes talking about the hate coming with the way he puts it down for the city since he does it so big while “F.I.L.A. (Fall In Love Again)” blends trap & pop rap tackling themes of romance. “Run It Back” goes for a smoother approach to the beat telling his lover there ain’t no slowing down since he has a lot speed while “Sexy” experiments with hip house interpolating “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred.

“Omg” starts the 2nd half of The Golden Age returning to the boom bap thanks to Dead Heat talking about being more insane than the wicked clowns themselves while “Narcissist” keeps things in the basement instrumentally speaking to himself showing y’all what wealth really is. “Slush” meshes a piano with kicks & snares talking about his heart being way too cold while the title track flexing that his paper’s too tall to fold.

Nearing the conclusion of The Golden Age, the song “Killing Time” finds himself waiting for a sickness to take him away while “A.M.F.D. (All My Friends are Dead)” combines dubstep production with horrorcore lyricism that winds up leaving me somewhat torn about it personally. “I Miss You” talks about the voices that he was hearing in his head was the money this whole entire time & “The Truth” finishes us off with a 2 minute rock outro showing off The Unholy’s singing chops.

Looking back at how reckless he was with his words when he was younger & cringing at it because the godfather of the wicked shit has obviously gotten much older, The Golden Age thematically opens up in regards to chasing what Esham thought success looked like whether it be industry recognition or respect from his own peers. Him continuing to do his own production again brings a smile to my face since that’s where a lot of his post-Psychopathic material until lately has lacked, recalling everything from the anxiety & depression to conquering Hell.

Score: 4/5

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A$AP Ferg – “Flip Phone Shorty: Strictly for Da Streetz” review

Another brand new studio LP from Manhattan, New York emcee & songwriter A$AP Ferg. One of the most prominent members of the A$AP Mob, his 2013 solo debut Trap Lord & the debut mixtape Ferg Foreverboth cemented that further although the sophomore effort A.$.A.P. (Always $trive And Prosper) received mixed responses for its more commercial heavy-sound. Still Striving & Floor Seats both marked a return to form for Ferg although Floor Seats II got divided feedback during the 2020 COVID lockdowns & Darold refined what A.$.A.P. (Always $trive And Prosper) was going for. Celebrating the Black Friday weekend however, Flip Phone Shorty: Strictly for Da Streetz has arrived in the midst of a few singles.

“Ball” drops braggadocio over a generic trap instrumental, which ironically sets the tone for the entire album until the 3rd & easily most salvageable single “Big Dawg” produced by Lex Luger talks about his hustle game being too real. “Dem Boyz” blends trap & dirty south continuing bring more charisma to the boastful lyrics but after the “Cee-Lo Voicemail” interlude, “P.O.L.O” will go down as one of the worst A$AP Ferg singles of all-time mainly because of the goofy beat.

Lil B joins Ferg for “Fisher Price”, ending the 1st half with synthesizers & hi-hats talking about all of their bitches being on go & “Uptown Baby” could be the weakest Lex Luger track here mostly because of the pointless French Montana verse. “Focus on Me” featuring Denzel Curry joins forces to make their blocks look like parades whenever they pop out while the lead single “Ferg Strong” proved to be better than “P.O.L.O.” & worse than “Big Dawg”.

“Young O.G.” featuring Denzel Curry reunites the pair 1 last time over the final Lex Luger beat of Flip Phone Shorty: Strictly for Da Streetz, looking to finish what A$AP Rocky & SpaceGhostPurpp both started after they squashed their beef this spring falling out started while “Shoot Up the Club” featuring Big Boss Vette finds the 2 getting raunchier topically. “Flip Phone Anthem” featuring エイウィッチ & Gucci Mane lastly finishes up with a tribute to the flip phone days 2 decades earlier.

Darold seemed like a step in the right direction for A$AP Ferg, but my biggest question coming away from Flip Phone Shorty: Strictly for Da Streetz is: What the Hell happened? Ferg himself & a vast majority of the guests aren’t much of an issue to me besides only a couple of them. A lot of my criticisms however are directed towards the production being more trap-oriented than Darold because aside from all 4 of Lex Luger’s contributions, it feels uneventful & maybe a little cutrate. If we actually get Don’t Be Dumb in January, it already has everything going for it to be a stronger listen.

Score: 2/5

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A-F-R-O – “The Bad & the Ugly II” review

Los Angeles, California emcee/producer A-F-R-O running it back with Stu Bangas for his latest LP. A protege of R.A. the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his Duck Down Music Inc.-backed 5th EP A-F-R-O Polo produced by Marco Polo introduced himself as a promising up-&-comer within the underground. The Drawing Board alongside The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First and Crimson Fury have all testified to his vengeful return in recent memory, preluding his upcoming 14th EP No More Patience with The Bad & the Ugly II.

A sequel to “Lost Souls” off the original Bad & the Ugly begins assuring that he still sees the finer things despite having glaucoma whereas “Pack It In” mixes sampling with kicks & snares calling back to the House of Pain single “Jump Around” in that battling him’s a sin. “Bring Ya Best Army 2” featuring One Be Lo dustily picks up where the predecessor left off last Halloween leading into “Mastermind” featuring Wordsworth talking about life ain’t a game to them.

“Use Your Brain” pushes towards the end of the 1st half advising one to think prior to stepping up to the microphone just before “Conductor” hops over an organ-inflicted boom bap instrumental to talk about conducting poetry whenever he’s in the booth. “Man of God” featuring Motion+ finds the 2 speaking being beyond blessed with their lives & having no tolerance towards disrespect while “My Saloon” talks about pouring up lyrical brew & not allowing any punk muhfuckas in his bar.

We get some pianos & a drum machine on “The Quick & The Dead” addressing the type of rappers who think they slick by busting their rhymes with speed when they’re really not while “No Regrets” featuring 4-IZE talks about living life without any remorse. “D’Amalfi” produced by Young Bangas marks the only track that Stu didn’t produce soulfully discussing being on this grind, but never thought he’d still be dreaming.

“Pandemic Posse” featuring Blaq Poet, EKYM1536, Emsee Prospekt, Horror City, Motion+ & Pulse Reaction takes up the next 6 minutes properly introducing themselves collectively while “Glistening” asks all the party people if they’re still listening to him rock the stage. “Stairway 2 Heaven” finishes with some rap rock undertones explaining that God told him to use his mind as a weapon.

The Bad & The Ugly II might be a little more heavier on the features compared to the original that came out last Halloween, but I’d certainly put it above Crimson Fury by only slight margin as much as I highly enjoyed that conceptual self produced extend extended play 5 months ago. The production almost entirely handled by Stu Bangas of course recaptures the flawlessly raw energy of The Bad & The Ugly, with A-F-R-O’s pen leveling up in terms of gruesomeness.

Score: 4/5

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