Will Epstein – “Yeah, mostly” review

Manhattan, New York singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Will Epstein is back for his 3rd solo LP to get 2026 rolling. Known for being 1/2 of the indie pop duo High Water, he would go on to sign with Fat Possum Records & make his own full-length debut with Whims in the fall of 2022 to moderate reception with the sophomore effort Wendy following a few months later to mild feedback as well. Yeah, mostly however had me hoping Will would outdo himself musically based off a couple teasers within the last few months.

“Saturday Night” begins with this Americana intro singing about fireflies shining bright during the dark evenings of the weekend whereas “Brideshead Revisited Revisited” goes for an indie rock direction stylistically homaging the Evelyn Waugh novel Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder. “Dishwasher” gives off a slower vibe singing about feeling at peace when he’s washing dishes leading into the piano-driven “Riverside” confesses this person in his life feels a lot closer than previously.

Moving on from there, “Socks in LA” gets back to an indie rock sound singing about only sleeping in his socks whenever he’s in the west coast due to the constantly warm weather just before “That’ll Be Me” has a sadder mood altogether recalling his grandmother Sherrie passing away & a friend named Max losing his home in the wildfires around this time 52 weeks ago. “Little Tony Soprano” references the main character from one of my top 3 favorite shows of all-time The Sopranosmaintaining the indie rock elements while “Window Window Window” blissfully advises to stop looking for kisses & fixes.

“Dimmer Switch” starts the last leg of Yeah, mostly embracing a smoother approach singing about him being unable to control how much this person means to Will while “Standing at My Standing Desk” asking himself whether he’ll be a father or bail out as well as getting caught between the past & the future. “Lauren Bacall” wraps up the album giving his flowers to the actress who was amongst of the last surviving stars from Hollywood’s golden age era hooking up some meditative piano chords behind him.

Yeah, mostly comes across being a lot more personal & self-assured Will Epstein has ever sounded compared to both of it’s moderately received predecessors looking at different facets of the singer/songwriter that emerge throughout the course of a single day. Tough to say whether or not it’ll be amongst my favorite albums of 2026 next winter, but it’s a worthy indie rock offering with secondary influences of Americana & singer/songwriter to get the year going containing stronger songwriting than Whims & Wendy’s combined.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

The Kid Laroi – “Before I Forget” review

Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia rapper & singer/songwriter The Kid Laroi beginning 2026 with his sophomore effort. Emerging as a protege of the late Juice WRLD, he subsequently signed to Grade A Productions & Interscope Records up until his debut mixtape Fuck Love received mixed-to-negative reviews including 3 separate reissues. His debut album The 1st Time under Columbia Records was only a slightly better product, returning 26 months later to drop Before I Forgetin the midst of him coming out of a relationship.

“Me + You” decently samples “Tell Your Friends” by The Weeknd singing about Findlay McConnell wanting to fight him when he always thought they were friends whereas “July” goes for an alternative R&B vibe recalling him & Tate McRae breaking up 6 months earlier. “Private” asks himself whether he & Tate had moved too fast or if they let everyone in on what they had leading into the trap soul-flavored “Come Down” produced by FNZ singing about wanting to be with his ex.

Lithe joins Laroi on “Rather Be” continuing to delve deeper regarding his breakup with Tate McRae while the 2nd single “A Perfect World” combines sophisti-pop, contemporary R&B, soft rock & vaporwave whining about him & Tate being together in an alternate universe where they had resolved their issues. “5:21AM” acoustically yearns to be the man she wishes he would be while the lead single “A Cold Play” responds “Tit for Tat” blending alternative R&B, alt-pop, trap soul, Memphis rap & cloud rap.

“The Moment” continues the 2nd half of Before I Forget singing about waiting for the day he & Tate’s spirits are safe from the public eye while “Never Came Back” hooks up some acoustics confessing there was a point where he couldn’t sleep because of her leaving him, taking weeks for him to be at peace with the breakup. “Thank God” leans towards an alt-pop sound dismissing the possibility of loving his next girlfriend the way he loved Tate while “I’m So in Love with You” sings about him still having feelings towards her, being the only thing that he sees since last summer.

We have have The Kid Laroi taking a moment on the piano-driven “Maybe I’m Wrong” responding to “Trying on Shoes” by confessing that he lost the series of singles he & Tate had put out attacking one another while “Her” doesn’t feel like an interlude at all, pleasing for Tate to take him back because the shape of her’s still carved in his heart. The 3rd & final single “Back When You Were Mine” wraps up the LP in the form of this moderate contemporary R&B, pop & soft rock outro hoping she doesn’t take it the wrong way since it was conceived when they were still dating.

Does anybody remember when Robin Thicke dedicated his 6th album Paula & his last under Star Trak Entertainment to saving his initial marriage with Paula Patton only for her to divorce him a year later? That’s kinda what The Kid Laroi does with Before I Forget except he was never married to Tate McRae & it actually has some occasionally enjoyable moments than Paula. The production’s more focused around contemporary R&B than The 1st Time with lesser influences of alternative R&B as well as trap soul & alt-pop which is merely passable, I just think the themes get tiring after a certain point.

Score: 2/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

WTM Solid – “Street Gospel” review

Sophomore effort from Detroit, Michigan rapper WTM Solid. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, he also embarked on a solo career of his own beginning a few years back with the debut EP Originatour followed by both Matter of Time & What’s the Difference?. Bigg as well as the full-length studio debut album Imagine That at the start of the previous year elevated himself as an individual amongst the rest of WRLD Tour, following up Killa $eason & Touropean to spit some Street Gospel.

“OMG” starts with a cloudy trap instrumental talking about becoming bigger than his own personal issues whereas “Orange Hearts <3” cautions of how others say his name & making bands daily. “R.I.P. Mac Miller” gives his condolences to the late Pittsburgh recording artist/producer of the same name slathering a chopped & screwed effect throughout his vocals leading into “Happy Face 🙂 Sad Face :(” talking about people going from friends to enemies when that couldn’t be more accurate.

We get a pluggier vibe on “S.W.A.G. (Somebody Who Admires God)” explaining that shit runs deeper than the rap game & getting the bag yourself just before “Free Byrd” cloudily expresses gratitude for his daughter since she brought the best out of him as a person. “Lemme Guess” featuring $amaad produced by LulRose & Niketech finds the 2 addressing the crowd of people who’re down in life because of their own struggles while “Where the Luv?” featuring Rafa atmospherically talks about their hearts getting discarded.

“Keep Grindin’” embraces the Detroit sound boasting of him having the ability to make a Lamborghini out of a minivan prior to suggesting that everyone shuts the fuck up whenever it’s “Black Jesus Talking”. WTM Amex joins Solid on “Here We Go Again” airing out biters who’re trying to steal their respective styles since they’re so unique while “Shame on You, Blame on You” incorporate some sampling talking about thanking himself for overcoming all of his problems.

The song “Unsatisfied 2” kicks off Street Gospel’s last act with a sequel to a track off Originatour continuing to work in more samples while “Alchemist” soulfully takes us back to reality, suggesting kids to put down the guns & addressing our country’s economical issues like a recession nearing closer with each day. “Mental Health Awareness” ends the album talking about seeing the beauty in this because he knows who he is & promising things won’t end until he’s not here anymore.

2025 was by far the biggest year in WTM Solid’s solo career dropping a full-length studio debut & a couple EPs proving why he deserves recognition beyond his output with the WRLD Tour Mafia, beginning 2026 by crafting what I’m convinced to be the most personal collection of material I’ve ever heard from him. Instrumentally, the Detroit sound is being meshed with elements of cloud rap & plugg interestingly spending a half hour putting us inside of his shoes aside from a couple guests joining him occasionally.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

$uicideboy$ – “Thy Will Be Done” review

New Orleans, Louisiana duo & G*59 Record$ founders the $uicideboy$ consisting of Ruby da Cherry & $crim surprise-dropping their 6th studio LP on Christmas Day. In over a decade, they have given a plethora of projects whether it be the Kill Your$elf saga & Eternal Grey or even the debut album I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS & the Travis Barker-produced Live Fast, Die Whenever. The sophomore effort Long Term Effects of Suffering followed as did Sing Me a Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation along with New World Depression. In what was supposed to be a 2nd disc of Thy Kingdom Come back in August, the boy$ have decided to make Thy Will Be Done a stand-alone sequel of it’s own.

“Leviticus” starts off with a grisly trap instrumental produced by none other than $crim asking for God to send a flood to wash their sins away whereas “2009 Reggie Bush” goes for a Memphis vibe asking for everyone to get off their dicks. “Bloodsweat” aggressively talks about having the balls to die where they stand unlike others although the homophobic bar was cringe leading into the dirty south flavored “Angel Grove” coming at my 2nd favorite song observing the plot twist of them sacrificing themselves to the world.

Reaching the halfway point, “Whatever Floats Your Boat Will Definitely Sink My Ship” takes a melodic approach in terms of delivery over a blend of hi-hats & a guitar singing about not wanting to be this afraid of the dark while the tropical trap atmosphere of “MSY” begins the 2nd leg talking about spending the past decade of their lives using metaphors to express the way they’ve been feeling. My favorite song has easily gotta be “Old Addicts, New Habits” from the experimentation of trap & jazz rap to the lyrics representing the Northside like they’ve done so their whole careers.

“Frenzy” energetically kicks off the encore of Thy Will Be Done with another top 3 moment in my opinion looking to fuck shit up harder than a Hurricane swapping out the hi-hats in favor of some 808s while “Hypernormalisation” eerily embarks on a trip to the Southside & preferring euthanasia over getting high. “Fuck Ups” finishes off with a hypnotic phonk beat giving middle fingers to 5-0 & hanging out with the fiends because those’re the kind of people they came up with.

This new half hour collection of ideas from the $uicideboy$ carries over the ethos of Thy Kingdom Come almost 5 months ago & it most certainly would enhance the quality if it were an expansion of that predecessor since that was the original plan, but I can’t blame Ruby da Cherry or $crim for spinning Thy Will Be Done off into a completely separate album by itself due to them offering a sequel that progresses beyond the original cohesively. $crim’s production explores the sounds of Memphis rap, trap, phonk, dirty south, jazz rap & a small dosage of trap metal further embracing their new sense of spirituality.

Score: 4.5/5

Polo G – “H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. 2 (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma) 2” review

Brand new LP & the 6th overall from Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter & record executive Polo G. Rising to prominence in 2019 off his full-length debut Die a Legend which I personally found it to be decent, it wasn’t until the sophomore effort The GOAT the subsequent spring where I noticed some significant improvements. Hall of Fame & it’s sequel on the contrary were both released to mixed reception in 2021, redeeming himself to me anyway as the H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma) a year & a half ago. Last week however, he announced a follow-up to the latter & gave me hopes of him continuing to head down the right direction musically.

“Painkillers” produced by Smatt Sertified actually starts off pretty solidly talking about being a Chiraq veteran who sticks his chest out when speaking prior to “Move Wrong” sampling “Lay It Down” by 8Ball & MJG featuring Crime Boss so he & VonOff1700 can ruin it. “Hard Body” blends acoustics & hi-hats talking about him continuing to follow paper trails while “Crash the Party” sends 100 rounds with no fucks given.

The instrumental on “Chances” doesn’t really do a whole lot for me & it’s a shame because I feel like the subject matter of him taking risks to get where he is comes from a serious place until the 6th & final single “Gangsta Graduation” featuring G Herbo talks about making out of the streets over an equally uninteresting beat. The 3rd single “Chinatown 2” picks up where The GOAT standout left off conceptually although I’d very much prefer the original just before “Lost My Friend” works in some average sampling masking the pain of a colleague he ain’t cool with anymore.

“High Tolerance” was obviously chosen for the 5th & penultimate single due to it’s predictable sound although I’m not gonna dismiss the idea of him being used to emotional struggles while “If I Gat To” speaks of his belief that we all face common battles, which I can agree to a certain extent. “Shoot It Off” made for an average 2nd single blending gangsta rap & trap figuring why this person he knew chose to speak if he has the right to remain silent while “1 More Time” confesses he thinks it’s fucked up the way a homie thinks he see shit.

Meanwhile on “Insubordinate”, we have Polo G talking about going from only wanting millions of dollars in cash to solely desiring peace while the 4th single “Quality Over Quantity” comes off a bit ironic since one could use that title in an argument regarding this spiritual successor being less enjoyable than the predecessor. “Dope Peddler” calls himself a cocaine specialist when I’d personally give that title to Clipse while moving forward asking who’s “Left to Blame” when he’s down & out.

“Boring Soul” surprises me with one of the more appealing moments instrumentally talking about being an uninteresting person on the inside advising to never put somebody before yours due to him not seeing a lot of people he knew anymore while the lead single “My All” was my favorite of them all from the Southside & TM88 beat to the lyrics about his struggles with love while “Spiritual War” talks about the reason why he’s been having the feelings he’s been experiencing.

King Von makes a posthumous appearance during “95 Bulls” & that itself is basically Polo G’s eulogy to his late friend who was killed half a decade ago already that I can admire for what it is while “Madden” boasts of him always making his opposition the angriest. “Rent Due” concludes H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. 2 (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma) 2 dropping off 3 verses straight without a chorus sticking to a vow he made of not folding.

I’m very well aware I’m in the minority of the original H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma) being an improvement over both Hall of Fame albums, but at least Southside producing 72% of it gave it something going for it & a great deal of this sequel over an entire year later has very little purpose to it besides a small handful of tracks. The topics addressed are still the ones he’s basically become known for except the production has downgraded tremendously.

Score: 1.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Lee Carver – “Meathead: Satanic Steakhouse” review

Dayton, Ohio emcee Lee Carver returning over a decade after his solo debut Massacre Mask to drop a sophomore effort. Becoming the 3rd & final member to join the almighty Alla Xul Elu, they have become a groundbreaking act within the underground wicked shit scene since 2018 known for combining sharp horrorcore lyrics with boom bap & industrial hip hop instrumentation. Billy Obey wound up making his solo debut Rhymebook of the Recently Deceased a few months earlier & for my personal favorite of the group to drop Meathead: Satanic Steakhouse less than a couple weeks left of 2025 felt like a great way for Xul to finish their year.

After the “Dead Air” intro, the first song “What’s on the Menu?” begins with an eerie boom bap instrumental welcoming customers to Skinner’s Family Steakhouse leading into “Meathead’s Theme” serving as the soundtrack tune of the Meathead character that Carver’s portraying. “Spill the Blood” gives off a demonic boom bap atmosphere talking about a severed pig’s head in the closet surrounded by candles while “VHS” continues the horrorcore themes chopping up bodies.

“Mooder’z Kidz Club” suggests for all the children to laugh at the silly cow dinner theater so he can direct his focus towards drowning out all the screams of his victims just before “Taxidermy” embraces a hellish boom bap vibe talking about the world being so cold that it should be on a meathook. “Get Back Here, You Bitch!” after the “Serial Killer Support Group” skit turns up the eeriness stalking women who’re hard to get while “The Microwave Massacre” slaughtering people in a spectacular fashion.

The track “Time 2 Eat” begins the last 8 minutes of Massacre Mask’s spiritual successor talking about being stuck in this continuous cycle that doesn’t even feel like reality from his perspective & prior to the “End Credits” outro, the final song “Dear Policeman” appropriately finishes up delivering Meathead’s manifesto in the midst of him getting chased by authorities & declaring that he has no remorse for all that he’s done.

A lot has changed for Lee Carver both artistically & personally within the last 10 years, but I had already expected Meathead: Satanic Steakhouse to surpass Rhymebook of the Recently Deceased & that’s what it pretty much did although I’d very much say the latter isn’t too far behind. The production is more centered around the traditional boom bap sound as opposed to secondarily incorporating some of Alla Xul Elu’s industrial influences & Carver’s cohesive concept makes it feel like a horror movie in audio form.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Z-Ro – “Unappreciated” review

Houston, Texas emcee & singer/songwriter Z-Ro celebrating another winter with his 28th studio LP. A member of the Screwed Up Click collective, he’s been holding it down for 3 decades already whether it be the Rap-A-Lot Records debut & my personal favorite in his discography The Life of Joseph W. McVey or his output as part of the Guerilla Maab & later the duo ABN. He dropped both The Ghetto Gospel & Call Me Rother last year, venting 53 weeks later that he feels Unappreciated.

“KKK” begins with a bluesy trap intro airing out his grievances towards crooked cops in light of it already being half a decade since his SUC brethren Big Floyd was murdered until “Famous Again” goes for a cloudier trap vibe instrumentally talking about his detractors giving him free promo because they have no motion. “I’m Tryin’” blends soul & gospel wanting his people to know that he’s been doing his best in case this is the last we’ll hear from him while the summery “So So” tells us the way he’s been feeling.

As for “Do Less”, we have Z-Ro continuing to jump over atmospheric trap beats talking about minimizing his output if it turns out people don’t appreciate everything he’s doing while “Would’ve Known” swaps out the cloudiness in favor of more gospel influences pondering if he would’ve still done the shit he did if others were already aware that he’d be gone. “Ro Come Bacc” brings back the soul suggesting for people to never return if they ain’t feelin’ him no more just before “Me Against All Y’all” aggressively channeling his inner 2Pac.

“Gotta Maintain” pushes the 2nd half forward reminding himself of keeping his composure because the rest of the world doesn’t want to see him shine while “Heart of a Hustler” featuring Lil’ Keke has my favorite guest appearance of the 4, talking about the grind always being in their hearts & instrumentally fusing soul with trap. “I Swear” featuring Kook has an admirable theme of betrayal & the latter also delivering a solid verse, but I can’t say the same regarding Yella Fella’s contribution to “Don’t Judge Me” despite the subject matter.

The song “On My Side” gets Unappreciated’s final moments blending the Houston sound with dirty south aesthetics talking about keeping a firearm close to him while the funky trap hybrid “Do You” assures the world that success is making sure your loved ones are good as opposed to having a private-gated estate. “Too Much Patron” finishes up advising to be left alone because he’s in his zone smoking the most potent weed he could get his hands on & drinking tequila.

Call Me Rother still has moments that I’ll go back to every now & then but a lot like his ABN partner-in-rhyme Trae tha Truth put out a late career highlight with the love letter to his daughter Angel on his birthday this summer, Z-Ro has done the exact same thing except he’s reiterating the statement of him becoming Unappreciated in recent memory hinting at retirement once again like he did thorough the last album of his I enjoyed this much initially did: No Love Boulevard.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Kozmonautz – “Full Circle” review

The Kozmonautz are an MC/producer duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of Key Kool & DJ Rhettmatic. Making their eponymous debut in the summer of 1995, they would both go on to form the Visionaries with 2Mex alongside LMNO & another duo called Writer’s Block comprised of Dannu & Lord Zen putting out 5 full-lengths within the next 3 decades. However to commemorate the anniversary of their introductory LP over the summer, the Kozmonautz are running it back for an official sophomore effort.

After the “Big Bang 2” intro, the title track opens up by talking about livin’ life at ridiculous speed on top of sending empathic energy towards their people & presenting the truth whereas “Yes Yes Y’all” takes the boom bap route instrumentally representing all 4 elements of hip hop culture. “Listen to This” works in a funkier beat making way for Key Kool to drop a couple verses in Japanese prior to “Reconcentrated 2” talking about history repeating itself if we don’t learn from the past & teach it to the youth.

“Legacy” incorporates a woodwind to live life with integrity & maintain a pedigree taken from the blood of samurai just before the 2nd & final single “Quite Unique” jumps on top of this funky ass beat to talk about both of them speaking with their hands in dangerous ways. “Down with Us” by the Visionaries gives a taste of what’s to come from their upcoming 6th album in 2026 staying fly as fuck & come from Up Above while “Better World” finds the Kozmonautz reflecting on the current state of things whether it he politicians abusing their power & children playing with iPads rather than going outside.

Maintaining a boom bap vibe, the song “Sureshot” talking about always rockin’ stages whenever tbh hit the scene while the Key Kool solo cut “Catchin’ U Off Guard” produced by Kutmasta Kurt wraps up this Full Circle moment explaining that he & Rhettmatic don’t have anything to prove since they’re a couple of b-boys who have genuine respect for the culture in contrast to all of these mainstream record labels exploiting the art form in addition to the wankstas who think they be hot shit & finally the wannabe star acting larger than they really are.

These guys’ eponymous debut remains amongst the most slept-on west coast hip hop albums ever made filled with consciously abstract & hardcore lyricism flowing over boom bap production, but for Key Kool & DJ Rhettmatic to celebrate 30 years of that full-length by reforming the Kozmonautz for an aptly titled Full Circle moment recapturing the same energy of that beloved album & channeling it through the perspectives of the veterans they have evolved into from the young up-&-comers starting out.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Mickey Diamond – “Wolf Tickets” review

Here is the 17th studio LP from Detroit, Michigan lyricist & one of the finest in the underground currently Mickey Diamond. Emerging at the beginning of this decade off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 16 albums alongside 7 EPs & a mixtape. Since 2022 however, Mickey has been consistent putting out some of the best material of his career thus far. This includes the Gucci Ghost album & it’s sequel produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the Ral Duke-produced Oroku Saki EP, the Sadhugold-produced Death Threat$ album, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Capital Gains album, the 3rd & 4th installments to the Gucci Ghost saga, the outstanding Oroku Saki sequel Super Shredder & Gucci Gambinos. We got Diamond Cutter this spring & most recently the Dolla $ign Diaries, a couple weeks ago, making Wolf Tickets the beginning of a new trilogy.

A soul sample gets flipped right out the gate during “Peter & Paul” until the drums come in the fold talking about hearing shit because he constantly keeps his ear to the streets in addition to the number of speed bumps & potholes when taking the road to success just before “High Steaks” references the late WWE Hall of Famer Paul Bearer in addition to WWE Hall of Famer, former SMW Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 12-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Kane and WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion, 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 2-time NWA National Heavyweight Champion & AJPW世界タッグ王座 Ted DiBiase.

“Black Tears” works in a crooning sample so he can talk about the struggles he used to experience in his hood daily while “Wolfenstein 3D” hooks up a piano-driven boom bap instrumental suggesting to put your money where your mouth is. “No Jumper” talks about nobody moving units the way he does leading into “I Dare You” ends the 1st half by promising to blast anyone who gets way too close to him & keeping snitches in a rear-view.

Starting off the 2nd leg, “You Can’t Buy Love” chops up more samples advising to open your eyes & read the signs when it comes the topic of romance while “WTF” gets in his mafioso bag over a somber boom bap beat. “Missed Calls” talks about him not being afraid to let shots ring out like people are hitting up his number & he isn’t answering them while “Michael Knight” reminds the world as to exactly what type of person he’s always been.

“Blood Moon” begins the final 6 & a half minutes of Wolf Tickets going for a drumless rap rock vibe looking to bring terror to every single flow he uses while “1 Shot Kill” finishes up this inaugural entry of The Wolf, The Sheep & The Goat pretty much poking fun at all these other rappers who’re crying wolf leaving them dead the very second he fires the gun he keeps close to him whether it be on the warm summer days or the cold winters.

Tough for me to say whether or not Mickey Diamond will eventually make Dolla $ign Diaries available on Bandcamp & whatever digital streaming platform of your choice since it’s a physical exclusive for now, but what I can tell you is that he & Big Ghost Ltd. take a more introspectively spiritual approach to Wolf Tickets unlike the Gucci Ghost series or Gucci Gambinos over a year earlier quickly surpassing Diamond Cutter to no surprise. He’s essentially recapping everything that’s happened in his life since Gucci Gambinos with the same rawness we’ve grown accustomed to from him & new perspectives.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Chris Patrick – “Pray 4 Me” review

East Orange, New Jersey rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Chris Patrick making his major label debut with his 3rd full-length studio LP. Introducing himself off his debut EP From the Heart along with it’s sequel & X-Files, it wasn’t until his last couple EPs Lost Files & most notably The Calm caught the interest of Def Jam Recordings last fall. He’s additionally caught my attention via some of his most recent guest appearances asking everyone to Pray 4 Me almost 13 months since getting signed.

“Audra’s Prayer” comes out the gate with a militantly hungry intro & removing the drums during the 2nd to speaking of his friends passing away whereas “Ramen Noodles” angrily talks about muhfuckas not lasting a day in his shoes “Frankenstein” featuring Marco+ links up over a boom bap instrumental from Conductor Williams boasting their prophetic statuses while “The Mayor” featuring Swavay dabbles with trap to promise that they won’t ever walk back on their word.

Reaching the halfway point, “Doremi” gets in his R&B bag on top of a summery beat singing about themes of love leading into “100x” featuring Amindi heading further down that trajectory for a tightly spacey duet. “Patience” brings back the hip hop vibes feeling like God’s testing his forbearance while “Screaming at the Sky” talks about a loved one who passed blending a soul sample & hi-hats. “Huncho’s Prayer” produced by Reuben Vincent finishes the album with a 9 minute closer pouring his heart out, including beat-switch at the backend of it.

Familiarizing myself with him through his features on projects like Reuben Vincent’s 2nd EP General Admission or Reason’s 5th mixtape I Love You Again & most recently WowGr8’s solo debut Howl at the Moon, I’m just as equally happy as Chris Patrick is that he didn’t wind up quitting music 3 months earlier since Pray 4 Me wouldn’t have happened had he done so. He’s honing in on his artistic range pulling from conscious hip hop, boom bap, drumless, R&B & neo-soul for a love letter to surviving all of his sleepless nights.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!