MC Eiht – “The Story of My Life” review

MC Eiht is a 55 year old MC, songwriter, actor, podcaster from Compton, California notable for being the de facto leader of Compton’s Most Wanted. He would also go on to drop over a dozen solo efforts, including his debut We Come Strapped under Epic Records along with his Hoo-Bangin’ Records/Priority Records debut Section 8 & Which Way iz West via Eiht’s own imprint Blue Stamp Music Group in tandem with EMPIRE Distribution. The latter of which will already be celebrating an entire decade next summer, telling The Story of My Life for his 18th studio LP.

“8 Lawz” featuring Glasses Malone kicks things off with both of them linking up to talk about the 8 rules people must abide to whereas “My N***a” continues from there with an ode to a homie of his. “Again & Again” instrumentally leans towards a smoother boom bap vibe talking about the west coast forever staying in the building just before “Dear Neighborhood” turns up the funk so Eiht can pen an open letter to the CPT district that made him who he’s becomes

Conway the Machine appears for “Everyday” talking about making money daily over another boom bap beat & suckas trying to bring them down in every way leading into “IDC” chopping up a soul sample admitting he could give a fuck less anyone does whether they’re tweeting or reading a book. “Throwin’ Hands” aggressively gets in his gangsta rap bag over an instrumental that has a dreary quality to it preceding him suggesting everyone buckles up for this “Journey” he’s taking us through.

“Soul Food” featuring Dave East continues the sampling so both of them can discuss never being caught in a bad mood around other Gs while “Pistols & Palm Trees” ends the 1st half reminding the world of his west coast origins. My favorite track would be “On Go” produced one of my top 5 producers of all-time Pete Rock, beginning off the 2nd leg remind us how they do it while “How the Enemy Lie” talks about a hard muhfucka trying to arrive.

B-Real joins Eiht during “Run It Up” so they can increase the amount of bread they have & warning what’ll come to anyone acting tough around them while “We Been Bacc Here B4” nostalgically talks about screaming “Fuck y’all” until his voice gives out around some parts he’s already familiar with. “N the Mixx” hops over a rap rock beat from DJ Muggs demanding to know if anyone else can outrap him while “All Chrome” talks about the life of a hustler again.

“High Like” featuring Brotha Lynch Hung hops over a crooning instrumental simultaneously keeping it elevated & gutta while “Hubcity” featuring Jay Worthy feels like a generational passing of the torch, talking about there being bread to spend. “Remember Us” winds down the last few moments of the album addressing his legacy & being recognized everywhere he goes while the closer “Tippin’” wraps up The Story of My Life with a jazzy CMW reunion.

Official, Lessons, it’s sequel & Revolution in Progress were all average at best even if they have some cuts that I still revisit nearly a decade later. That said: If The Story of My Life truly marks the end of MC Eiht’s illustrious career dating back to the 80s like he said 13 months ago, then I can’t complain since it’s a consistently tasteful reflection of his legacy from the production to the guests & usual street narratives people know & love him for.

Score: 3.5/5

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Olēka – “Human Error” review

This is the full-length studio debut from Houston, Texas singer/songwriter, producer & audio engineer Olēka. Known for being a member of Quadeca’s touring band, she even made a couple guest appearances on the latter’s previous LP Vanisher, Horizon Scraper a year & a half ago until he signed her to his independent label X8 Music around that same time period. It’s almost been 3 weeks since Life 1 dropped & he’s taking it upon himself to handle the mastering process of Human Error.

“Meta Cognition” fuses alternative rock, neo-psychedelia, noise rock & math rock asking how she’s supposed to clean up this mess when she’s a fool at her greatest thrwhereas “Want to Find It” sings about deciding what matters most to ourselves. “Floating” moves on from there assuring this person she’ll always stay by their sides in every alternate reality one can think of just before the grungy “Heavy Handed” sings about occasionally being convinced she’s living in someone’s dreams.

The title track blends indie & art rock so she can explain that the world only knows what you tell along with God’s awareness of what we meant leading into “Somewhere Out of Reach” describing the ability this individual has of singing her to sleep regardless of whether or not they’re far apart from each other. We later have Olēka singing about always checking “Around the Corner” for someone although it’s not because she thought they were confused until “Who’s Watching the Kids?” clarifies the world’s cold but here.

“See the World” winds down the last few moments of Human Error embracing an electronic atmosphere to it wondering whether or not anyone would like to envision a place without her while the ambient outro “Peace” sings about nothing in this world offering her tranquility. “Sunshine When It Rains” still deserves a nod regardless of it being left off the final version because I consider it a touching remembrance of her grandmother who passed away.

Kevin Abstract & Sugar Cherry were already established by the time they signed to X8 Music whether it be the latter’s extended plays or Kevin’s former role as the de facto leader of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective, so there’s been a lot of hype around Olēka for the past year & Human Error makes up for the delays it’s suffered with a gorgeous debut album. Her addicting vocal performances compliments the singer/songwriter, indie folk, post-rock, chamber folk, slowcore, alternative rock, neo-psychedelia, noise rock, math rock, indie rock & art rock production for the beginning of what I believe will be a promising career.

Score: 4.5/5

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Kid Rock – “Halfway 2 Jesus” review

This is the 13th studio LP from Romeo, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, DJ & WWE Hall of Famer Kid Rock. Coming up as a b-boy for The Beast Crew in the late 80’s, he wound up signing to Jive Records & RCA Records for his full-length debut Grit Sandwiches for Breakfast before they cut ties with him due to comparisons to Vanilla Ice. Bobby then dropped The Polyfuze Method & Early Mornin’ Stoned Pimp on his independently owned Top Dog Records, but got Atlantic Records to help back Devil Without a Cause & the success of that rap rock classic lead to him shifting away from hip hop to teeter between classic rock & country for the last 2 decades even to this day. This foray has been either hit or miss with me personally, but I can’t deny the success of “Picture” & “All Summer Long” (the latter of which has been revealed in recent years even by the producer Mike E. Clark to have been originally made for the Insane Clown Posse) or how much I enjoyed the Rick Rubin-produced Born Free since it originally came out back when I was in middle school. Coming off the universally panned Bad Reputation in 2022, he’s claiming to have found God & went full gospel for Halfway 2 Jesus.

“James 1:7 (Jesus is King)” after the “Freedom” intro comes through with a below average Christian/southern rock single explaining the titular bible verse was the whole inspiration for this whereas “7 Sins” featuring Lil Wayne finds the pair combining those 2 sounds with hip hop admitting they’re guilty of committing the titular 7 deadly sins. “Why Don’t You Look Into Jesus?” poses the titular question since He has the answers leading into Eminem reuniting with Bob for the first time since “Fuck Off” almost 3 decades ago during “Heal My Faith” talking about remaining friends despite their political differences.

We have Kid Rock asking why Jesus would turn his “Water Into Wine” embracing a southern rock vibe altogether just before the title track featuring Gary LeVox & Jimmie Allen unites the trio singing about seeing the light. “I Don’t Drink the Whiskey Anymore” reaches the halfway point of the album making a public declaration of him quitting the distilled alcoholic beverage that I myself admittedly enjoy, but then “Me & Jesus” commences the 2nd leg singing about needing nobody else other than the son of God.

“God is Good” portrays himself as someone who was always doubted which I personally consider ironic because of his wealthy upbringings although I suppose it’s better he combined them into 1 track instead of splitting them while “Into the Setting Sun” pleads for Jesus Christ to guide him as he rides off in the sunset. “Broken Hearted People” sings about turning the page with a little bit of love when his authoritarian bootlicking speaks for itself while “‘Til You Can’t” pointlessly covers the Cody Johnson track of the same name.

The song “High Road” winds down Halfway 2 Jesus’ final act singing about life being too short to be bothered & heading down a dignified path while “Procession” embraces a more classical tone although him AI-generating it when he’s a self-taught musician’s certainly a choice. “God Bless the USA” concludes with this “patriotic” anthem when the rise of fascism in the land of the free & the home of the brave he kisses up to doesn’t make it great on top of his failed attempt at going up against this year’s Super Bowl halftime show performed by Bad Bunny, which was pre-taped.

Being someone who believes in God & in the afterlife, a huge reason Halfway 2 Jesus seemed humorous on paper is due to a line Kid Rock had when he made “Cool, Daddy Cool” for the Osmosis Jones soundtrack with his late hype man Joe C. saying “Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage. See some say that’s statutory, but I say it’s mandatory”. Other than Wayne’s verse & the reunion with Em, this would be the LAST example of gospel music & he also confirmed usage of Suno for vocal choir/orchestral arrangements.

Score: 0.5/5

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The Avalanches – “No Bad Memories” review

The Avalanches are a plunderphonics trio from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia consisting of Robbie Chater, Tony Di Blasi & Andy Szekeres. Their debut Since I Left You in 2000 has since become a landmark for that style of experimental music, with the 2016 sophomore effort Wildflower & the group’s previous full-length We’ll Always Love You towards the end of 2020 receiving similar praise. Almost 6 years later & they’re returning for their 4th studio LP almost a week after former NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell became the new TNA Knockout’s World Champion.

“Together” by Jessy Lanza & Prentiss after the “Bd-R” intro samples “Together Again” by The Famous 5 for a bubblegum bass, speed garage, tech house, utopian virtual, dance-pop, future garage, sound collage, jingles, 2-step & bassline lead single about preserving memories whereas “I Give Everything I Have 2 U” by Loaded Honey after the “Xerox Altalink B8055” interlude embraces a more soulfully jazzy vibe singing about providing it all for this person.

Chillwave, nu-disco, balearic beat, jingles, utopian virtual, chillsynth, deep house & funktronica all collide for the 2nd single “Every Single Weekend” co-produced by Jamie xx singing about the system & of the cost of living leading into “Blue Shadows” by Karen O after the “Friends Forever” interlude sampling “Shadows from Nowhere” by Blue Gas for a 3rd single combining neo-psychedelia, indie pop, chillwave, trip hop & exotica.

“Like Clockwork (Hit by Traffic)” after the “Logoland” intermission chops up a repetitive vocal line Khadija Al Hanafi provides for a minute & a half while “All the Time in the World” by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo hypnotically sings about letting the world pass through him & his partner. After the “3D Glasses Not Included” intermission, “Vida” by Erick the Architect preceding the “Paradise Island” treads the disco rap waters talking about not needing any new friends while “Unicorn Quest™” dabbles with 16-bit for 43 seconds.

The final single “Far Away” by John Glacier & Khadija Al Hanafi embraces a cross between jungle and liquid drum & bass encapsulating the feeling of a blissful summer evening out in London where it was conceived while the 4th single “Can’t Get Over Losing You” by Portraits of Tracy after the “He Lives in the Old World” interlude experiments with dance-pop, electropop, nu-disco, chillwave, neo-psychedelia, deep house & French house asking if this person would stay by them in the end.

After the “Watch Out! It’s Cloudy” interlude, “Highfield” by Panda Bear psychedelically sings about there being nothing left to do now that the story’s been told while “Under Yr Power” after the “El Dorado TV Spot” skit passionately confronts someone over whether or not they’re being played with & making it clear they won’t be consumed by their spell. “1 More Fantasy” by Carly Simon” after the “SUV Heaven” intermission glossily sings about not wanting to say “I love you” towards any fake relationship just before the “Breakout Corporate Tag” intermission.

“Magic Wand” by Barry Can’t Swim continues the 2nd act of the album describing a love that feels right on time & after the “Superfun!™ TV Spot” skit parodying a video game advertisement, the the title track would stick out amongst my personal favorites going for a more soulful vibe instrumentally. “Our Love’s Alive” by Barry Can’t Swim & Suzanne Ciani continues to show off The Avalanches unique approach to sampling after watching a video of Suzanne showing a synthesizer to kids on Sesame Street.

The song “Total Recall” by Faith No More’s lead singer Mike Patton takes it back to the 16-bit aesthetics declaring the Superfun! console has been released publicly & asking if people are waiting for Nintendo to make one of their own while “Final Credits” reunites with Loaded Honey to sing about a type of love that can do no good. “The Pavement Lights” by 細野晴臣 spends No Bad Memories’ concluding moments in the form of an outro reminiscent to these guys’ earlier output, especially towards the backend of it.

If I had to pick a favorite of the 3 Avalanches albums they’ve done in the past decade, No Bad Memories has earned that spot behind Since I Left You to become my 2nd favorite in their discography. The eclectic nu-disco, vapor, plunderphonics, broken transmission, house, footwork, UK bass, juke, bubblegum bass, speed garage, tech house, utopian virtual, dance-pop, future garage, sound collage, jingles, 2-step, bassline, chillwave, balearic beat, utopian virtual, chillsynth, deep house, funktronica, jungle, liquid drum & bass, electropop, neo-psychedelia and French house production feels like a testament to their inventiveness a quarter of a century later in the midst of conveying the role advertising plays in our memories.

Score: 4.5/5

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Z-Ro – “Forever King” review

This is the 30th studio LP from Houston, Texas emcee, singer/songwriter & 1 Deep Entertainment founder Z-Ro. 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 in 2024, coming off Unappreciated & the poorly received Never Love a Bitch Again proclaiming that he’s Forever King.

The title track luxuriously kicks things off with an R&B hook talking about being a real one when his background already certifies it whereas “High Than a Bitch” featuring Kook finds the pair uniting for an ode to smoking the finest weed over a trap instrumental. He later airs out his grievances towards a “Weak Ass Bitch”, suggesting she better be grateful for what she has just before “Fucc’d Up” talks about feeling betrayed at finding out some doubted him.

“Not Right Now” continues from there cautioning now isn’t exactly the best time for him to fall apart despite knowing bitches are fraudulent leading into “Another Drank” featuring That Mexican O.T. linking up so they can talk about consuming alcohol over some hi-hats & synthesizers. “Capricorn” hits the midway point of Forever King representing his zodiac sign & saying “Fuck ya” instead of “Love ya” while “The Way It’s Gone Go” talks about not getting down with his people no more.

As for “Hold Up 2”, we have Ro hitting us with a sequel to a joint he did 2 decades earlier advising not to press one’s luck unless they wanna get dropped while “They Crazy” talks about the haters trashing him really hard when Never Love a Bitch Again really wasn’t all that great. “The Town” discusses being the realest in the 713 & probably being the one stealing everyone’s hoes while “What About Me” speaks of having the ability to tell who really cares for him & who doesn’t.

“Go Nowhere” winds down the last leg of Forever King talking about people wanting to see you fail instead of catching Ws & shining while “God Rap” hops over a bell-work beat to issue a warning of him packing sticks regardless of his godly aura, assuring they’ll remember him. “You Know” spends the album’s concluding 3 & a half minutes talking about never knowing which way a hoe sliding down a pole with a ton of cash across the floor will go.

Making up for the lackluster reception Never Love a Bitch Again got 8 months ago, Z-Ro gives us the same no nonsense he’s been making from the jump except there’s a heavier R&B twist to it & that’s exactly why Forever King would be the strongest choice of the 2 albums he’s put out this year. His versatility as a rapper & as a singer has always been a huge reason why he’s become a local icon & I think people will appreciate that more than the bitter heartbreak of it’s predecessor.

Score: 3.5/5

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rexv2 – “Baby Houston” review

rexv2 is a 20 year old rapper & producer from Houston, Texas who broke out in the spring of 2025 when his debut mixtape Da Fleh & debut extended play Aberration respectively came out only a couple months apart. He would go on follow it up with Who Killed rexv1? exactly 4 weeks later & his full-length studio debut Winner’s Circle of would subsequently arrive 5 months after. His most recent EP liars go to hell dropped near the conclusion of summer apologizing for the delay of his 5th EP, which has arrived 6 weeks later.

“WellDeserved” kicks things off with this 68 second intro talking about making success look easy whereas the self-produced “DCLikeDom” brings in a rage beat flexing that he put his property in his portfolio. “TinyTina” instrumentally goes for a pluggier vibe so he can talk about being geeked up for a minute & a half leading into “ThePainNeverGetsErased” morbidly gets in his gangsta rap bag boasting the lifestyle coming with it.

As for “MaajinBuu”, we have rexv2 referencing the Dragon Ball character of the same name & talking about switching lanes over this chaotic beat just before “ChromeWristband” begins the 2nd half cooking up a more entrancing instrumental to drop some braggadocio. “ImFuckedUp” talks about being happy with a bag whenever he wakes up to one & for those around him to pass the drugs while “ImSoForsaken” admits to staying confined because the outside world’s cruelty.

“HellDesigned” winds down the last leg of Baby Houston on some wavier vibes talking about how what he thought he wanted turned out to be a burden to him in the end while “Luffa” speaking of baddies hitting up his phone now his music career’s been taking off. The hypertrap outro “HoustonBoy” concludes the EP shouting out the city that made him who he’s become now & thanking God he’s still here regardless of wearing a bulletproof vest underneath his shirt.

Discovering his music when his beef with bleood popped off earlier this spring, rexv2 returns 11 months since Winner’s Circle that showcasing a less experimental to his production although the similar elements of trap, rage & pop rap are all being retained. And I’d still that debut above everything else he’s made but in terms of his EPs, another thing Baby Houston has going for it would be the subject matter detailing his experiences in the 713.

Score: 3.5/5

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KXNG CROOKED – “West Coast ‘96” review

Eastside, Long Beach, California emcee KXNG CROOKED releasing his 6th solo LP & the first in 7 years. Originally signing to Virgin Music & Death Row Records without making his debut, he would go on to become a member of Slaughterhouse until their disbandment dropping a total of 17 mixtapes as well as 10 extended plays & his last 5 full-lengths. My favorites include the relevant Good vs. Evil, it’s sequel & Gravitas produced by Bronze Nazareth. The latter being the last time Crook has given us a proper album of solo material since he focused on doing H.A.R.D. with his Slaughterhouse brethren Joell Ortiz, taking it all the way back to West Coast ‘96.

After the “Dayz of the Past” intro, the title track kicks things off reflecting what it was like around his parts 3 decades ago over a ghostly boom bap instrumental prior to “West Coast ‘26” carrying that same energy over on some g-funk shit pretty much bringing us to the present day. “7 Day Theory” smoothly celebrates 2 whole decades since he founded the Circle of Bosses a.k.a. C.O.B. just before “Safe” sends a prayer to God asking to be protected from those who want him smoked.

“Po No Mo” already hits the midway point of West Coast ‘96 talking about becoming wealthy after struggling with poverty for a period of time while the trunk-rattling “For the Love” explains the only reason he began making music when the game was dangerously grimy. “Retire You” gives off some heavy Zapp vibes so he can tackle more romantic subject matter leading into “Makin’ Playaz” instrumentally whipping up something The Neptunes would’ve made back in the early 2000s.

The track “Changez” winds down the last few moments of the album eerily talking about how he used to be a fool at a younger age & cherishing life nowadays, acknowledging some want to see him fall off in addition to the necessity of legitimate ones evolving if they wanna maintain & “Last Song” spends the remaining minutes appropriately taking up the closer giving it up to all the people in his life who’ve since passed away because he doesn’t know when his time’s coming.

Originally set to drop back in July, it would turn out KXNG CROOKED delayed West Coast ‘96 a little more & would consider it a worthy comeback for the Long Beach veteran although I wouldn’t put it above the Good vs. Evil saga or Gravitas. The production has more of a consistent west coast sound to it compared to the last 3 albums Crook put out by himself, refraining from any guest appearance to test whether or not his love for making music has faded.

Score: 3.5/5

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6bill – “Pure Lust” review

This is the full-length studio debut from Queens by way of Jackson Heights, New York recording artist 6bill. Embracing a sound inspired by the electronic musician Burial, he would release his debut mixtape Live Laugh Count the summer prior to moderate reception although I did enjoy the features he did for the likes of Protect as well as southsidesilhouette & 730atMorning afterwards. He recently unveiled a tracklist for Pure Lust only 72 hours ago & now the final product is here at last.

We’re greeted to this rage-inducing intro talking about how the only thing he knows is to “Swerve” until things shift towards more of a spacier trap vibe instrumentally during “Reposado”, which is an ode to the tequila brand itself. “Venti” featuring ØWay co-founder diamond* finds the pair flexing that they have so much money to the point where they should open a bank & sipping lean while “Sevrage” talks about suffering withdrawals when he was out in Paris, France & riding foreign whips in London, England, United Kingdom.

“Bambie” continues from there touching base regarding his lifestyle once again leading into “Midnight Blue” talking about him being out in Miami, Florida riding a jet ski. “Beat It” reaches the midway point incorporating more rage beats cautioning to be mindful of not breaking his trust while “Masquerade” featuring Pz’ continues the 2nd half with another excellent guest appearance from the latter ØWay member, observing the pretense of everyone.

Meanwhile on “You Make My Desire Pure”, we have 6bill over another booming instrumental addressing a woman who he firmly believes brings authenticity out of his lustfulness just before “Back to Weho” talks about heading out to West Hollywood, California again following some time away from the sunshine state. “All for It” however winds down the last leg of Pure Lust explaining that money & hoes always get in the way of things for him.

Chuckyy’s guest appearance during “Wipe Ya Nose” was personally the weakest of the 3 & the only one I could’ve done without regardless of the rage beat & them talking about feeling like bitches are setting them up while “Clermont” admits he’s been fucking with Molly lately only because he wants to show everyone he can do it. “WYO / R.I.P. Tris” saves one of the most interesting moments for last, concluding the album with this satisfying 2-parter co-produced by LulRose clocking at almost 4 minutes.

Live Laugh Count still has some moments that I go back to regardless of it being an average tape, but thankfully Pure Lust makes up for it with 6bill’s finest collection of material to date & I say that since there’s a real possibility of him surpassing it going forward. Most of the guests deliver great performances other than the last one & it’d be interesting to hear him bringing in more notable producers who’d bring the best out of his take towards trap, rage & pop rap.

Score: 3.5/5

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Rocket Rese – “The Hardstyle Massacre” review

Brooklyn, New York rapper & producer Rocket Rese making his full-length studio debut. Known for being a Sematary affiliate, his debut extended play Doubted Me earlier this year was welcomed to lukewarm reception although the 2nd EP Let Ya Speakers Bleed only a month later saw people welcoming it a lot more experimenting with hardstyle & gangsta rap. He was even featured on the recent SosMula mixtape Yung Plane Krash earlier this summer, preparing for The Hardstyle Massacre that would come in time for the Halloween season.

After the self-produced “Solo Produced” intro giving us a taste of what’s to come for only 83 seconds, “Carry-A-Drum” unfortunately begins with this mediocre intro combining the hardstyle subgenre of the hard dance side of electronic dance music & gangsta imagery whereas “Blackout” runs it up with Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic talking about fucking with savages. “Show Me” featuring 13° moves on from there with the strongest guest appearances wanting to prove if one really has bands.

“6 Hours” doesn’t really impress me all that much from the hardstyle beat to the subject matter regarding him being up at 4am smoking weed while “Freaky Girls” talks about his preference in women. “Hood Ravers” continues from there advising that everyone enjoys it through the storm as much as they can even if the instrumental was ok just before “Black on Black” featuring Sematary ends the 1st half with both of them making it up wearing all black.

Meanwhile on “Devil Dance”, we have Rese kicking off the 2nd leg of The Hardstyle Massacre talking about feeling dead inside at only 7 in the morning preceding “Pop Out” moving forward looking rock out any speakers surrounding him. “Molly Watah” featuring Black Kray finds the pair bringing more gangsta raps to the table while “Body” produced by Shadow Wizard Money Gang was admittedly another favorite, putting a horror twist to hardstyle.

“Nanana” talks about taking bitches to Mardi Gras & to leave anyone fraudulent behind while “Love It” discusses cutting chops by the dozens. “Futures” vocally reminds me of Chief Keef at moments talking about his diamond chain looking like coke & after the uptempo hardcore “4 My Homie” promises he’ll fight anyone who disrespects those he considers friends, The Hardstyle Massacre spends the remaining minutes of the album talking about being caught up “In the Hills”.

Being introduced to him when that SosMula collab dropped several months ago, I still think it’s corny Rocket Rese was caught faking a co-sign from one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye formerly known as Kanye West last weekend & The Hardstyle Massacre makes for an average debut despite having a better understanding of what makes this guy appealing. The production doesn’t really interest me much outside of a small handful of exceptions including Whethan & Vieze Asbak’s contributions, but I’m curious to know whether or not he’ll make more beats of own going forward like the intro cut.

Score: 3/5

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Gucci Mane – “Against All Odds” review

New surprise 18th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper, record executive & entrepreneur Gucci Mane. Notable for being one of the Big 3 pioneers in trap music alongside T.I. & Jeezy, of course you can’t forget to mention him having one of if not the largest discography throughout the entire subgenre that continues to grow today. Breath of Fresh Air a few years ago was a decent 2-disc offering & to coincide with his memoir a year earlier, the 1017 Global founder’s coming off Episodes to drop Against All Odds.

“Back Against the Wall” samples “Torn” by LeToya Luckett shouting out the late Young Dolph right out the gate whereas “Y’all Make Me Sick” talks about the same ones hatin’ will be the first ones to get pics with him over horns & hi-hats. “Fucc Errybody” produced by Zaytoven to me ranks amongst my personal favorite cuts here stacking millions of dollars & his response to those wondering how he’s feeling while “Last Night in ATL” featuring Summer Walker links up for a weak trap soul/pop rap crossover.

We have Wop telling those who’ve turned against him to simply “STFU” although I could care less for the instrumental, but Zaytoven runs it back with his longtime collaborator for “She’s So Fine” talking about a woman who might work at Magic City since she’s that beautiful. “Still Dat N***a” makes it clear he still doesn’t have a fuck to give & others not being able to keep up just before “She on Go” makes for an underwhelming midway point talking about a freak hoe.

“Rich Ass N***a” kicks off the 2nd half making it up with a Zaytoven beat containing this prominent organ making way for Gucci to boast his wealth while “Get the Fuck Out My Face” talks about celebrating daily since he doesn’t hang around any snakes. “Crazy Bih” describes a psychotic woman who goes through his phone every night when he’s sleeping & buggin’ out all night while “Priorities” hops over another Zaytoven instrumental to talk about fatherhood.

OJ da Juiceman appears for the “Vette Pass By” sequel “Lambo Pass By” that I could’ve honestly done without, but “Drunk” was more unimpressive talking about getting fucked up whenever the weekend rolls around. “All I Have” discusses his balls & his word being the only 2 things he has left in this world & after “Crash Dummy” disses Pooh Shiesty, the closer “1017” ends Against All Odds talking about him taking people out of the streets signing them & turning against him.

All Eyes on Shiest a couple months earlier proved Gucci Mane wasn’t kidding when he said Pooh Shiesty was still signed to 1017/Atlantic after throwing his life away when “Crash Dummy” came out, but I really don’t consider Against All Odds much of an improvement. In fact: I’d rank it amongst the weakest installments of his historic catalog & that’s largely because of the mostly uninteresting production other than all 5 cuts Zaytoven did.

Score: 2/5

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