Here is the brand new studio LP & 13th overall from Los Angeles, California emcee Cashus King. Originally known under the monikers Co$$ & later Ca$hiu$ King until settling on his current name, most will recognize him for his long-standing affiliation with Blu & Exile in addition to him having 6 extended plays & 7 mixtapes aside from the previous dozen of full-lengths in his solo discography. 3 years have already passed since Lava Lamps & the London, England, United Kingdom producer Big O has been brought in to soundtrack a Water to Wine transformation.
After the “Barry Water” intro, “Likwid (Big Fish)” begins with this angelic boom bap opener talking about how both of them been floating through districts whereas “Precipitation” featuring Fashawn embraces a jazzier vibe instrumentally to spit streams of consciousness. “Cherry Cola” featuring L.O.U. & P-Rawb samples “Shake Your Booty” by Bunny Sigler to use it’s title as a metaphor for drinking water over soda prior to “Streams” featuring Blu, Frannie EL & Shari returning to a conscious approach to the lyrics.
“Drownin’” has a bright boom bap quality to it encouraging all to keep swimming forward when life throws you overboard just before “Hydration (Reign)” ends the 1st half talks about watering the plants of our imagination & tells the world to keep dreaming. “Drippin’ (Soakin’ Poems)” works in some synths so we can hear the Heaven in their skills to start the 2nd leg while “Potions” featuring G-Holy stylistically leans towards a more g-funk direction getting on their west coast shit.
Nearing the end of Water to Wine, the song “Swimmin’” brings a triumphant trap flare to the table talking about doing backstrokes while “Holy Water” hooks up some organs to make room for Cashus to get confessional on the mic. “Like Lava for Water” apologizes for having people fight their wars for the days they came up short & after “Dark Agua” featuring Big Tone offers food for thought, the outro “Wine” ends by asking who or what we’re living for.
Many including myself would consider Before I Awoke to be Cashus King’s finest collection of solo material, but this new one isn’t far behind it assuring the world we all have the ability to turn Water to Wine in the metaphorical sense of everyone having the capability of change. Big O cooks up some of the strongest production of his career & Co$$ lyrically takes audiences through an exploration of transformation at its deepest level with a handful of guests.
This is the latest studio LP from Kingston, Jamaica deejay, singer/songwriter, entrepreneur & businessman Vybz Kartel. Someone who’s widely crowned as the King of Dancehall subgenre of reggae similarly to roots reggae icon Bob Marley becoming recognized as the symbol of the entire genre that he helped pioneer. For over 3 decades, the Adidjahiem Records founder has released over a dozen EPs & full-lengths including during his decade long prison bid for Clive “Lizard” Williams’ murder. Coming off Heart & Soul last summer decently celebrating his engagement, God & Time looks to take a more personal approach.
The title track begins with this dancehall opener talking about him telling us the many lessons & blessings he’s experienced in his life whereas “Soft Girl Era” seductively tells his partner to open up her love because he’s falling right in. “Some Days” sings about the Worl’ Boss’ desire of wanting to love a woman better than the next guy leading into “Geenie” asking his lover if she would abuse his powers if he had the ability to grant wishes.
Spice appears for “Confessions” so both the King & Queen of the Dancehall can each take their rightful places at the throne just before “Stay for the Night” featuring Wizkid incorporates some Afrobeats influences so both of them can encourage their romantic interests to spend an evening with them. “Casi Casi” featuring Farruko joins forces for an atmospherically bilingual duet that I could truthfully care less for while “Panic” featuring Shenseea makes up for it bridging 2 different generations of dancehall.
“Round & Round” continues the 2nd half getting more sexual in terms of lyrics & stylistically throwing it back to his early 2010s output while “Try Again” featuring Skillibeng might be my least favorite collaboration The King & The Prince have done yet because I felt like it could’ve been somewhat longer. “Hype Life” on the other hand was quite possibly my favorite single of the bunch celebrating di Teacha’s wealth even if I wish his rival-turned-ally Mavado had a verse instead of handling the hook.
The song “Dancehall Ting” nears God & Time’s conclusion talking about the rest of the artists in this style of reggae merely being sheep compared to his greatness but once “Big Business” further embraces bashment’s main components at it’s core boasting that he’s purchasing apartments instead of blowing it all on liquor, “Watch Over Me” finishes the album on the highest note I can think of talking about themes of faith.
During his incarceration, Vybz Kartel’s lawyer would say God & Time to the Worl’ Boss so frequently to the point where he began applying it to his own life & the follow-up to his previous album over 9 months ago could likely be the most I’ve enjoyed di Teacha’s music since coming home. The dancehall production’s a considerable improvement over the predecessor mixing some trap dancehall undertones into the fold & bringing some of the genres’ biggest artists past & present on board for a well-rounded experience.
Slift is a heavy psych trio from Toulouse, Occitanie, France consisting of guitarist/vocalist Jean Fossat, bassist/vocalist Rémi Fossat & drummer Canek Flores. Emerging in 2017 off the band’s debut extended play Space is the Key as well as their 2018 full-length debut La Planète Inexplorée & the widely praised 2020 sophomore effort Ummon, they returned 4 years later by dropping an equally celebrated Sub Pop Records debut Ilion & are looking to outdo both of those with their 4th studio LP.
The title track opens up with an epic 9 minute intro taking some inspiration from doom metal signing about rising above our pain & finding a fire for our souls whereas “Corrupted Sky” describes a fictional town plagued by a sense of xenophobic unknowing. “The Village” continues the story finding this bigoted city welcoming an outsider like poison over progressive instrumentation just before the lead single “A Storm of Wings” blends stoner metal, progressive rock & heavy psych so our protagonist can depict the town’s downfall.
“Orbius Tertius” kicks off the 2nd half taking heavy inspiration from the late Jorge Louis Borges’ short story of the same name using idealism to ask a multitude of questions while “Waiting Man” feels like a mix of Pink Floyd & Masters of Reality-era Black Sabbath, realizing the world our hero was committed to was a lie. The 2nd & final single “The Day of Execution” again bases itself in the styles of stoner metal, progressive rock & heavy psych singing about time passing all of us prior to “Secret Mirror” sending off Fantasia with an astounding space rock outro.
Ditching the sci-fi narrative of their Sub Pop debut a couple years earlier, Slift’s follow-up ironically bares it’s name after a description of the band’s previous output for their leanest statement yet improving above Ilion & dethroning Ummon for their magnum opus. The production captures their versatility eclectically varying between space rock, stoner rock, stoner metal, heavy psych, post-metal, progressive rock, progressive metal, post-rock, doom metal & post-hardcore for a tale of overcoming international upheaval.
This is the 12th studio LP from Salem, Massachusetts metalcore band Converge consisting of drummer Ben Koller, bassist Nate Newton, guitarist Kurt Ballou and finally frontman & Deathwish Inc. co-founder Jacob Bannon. Although their 1994 full-length debut Halo in a Haystack was moderately received, nearly everything they’ve done since has cemented them as quite possibly the greatest metallic hardcore band of all-time. Petitioning the Empty Sky, When Forever Comes Crashing, my personal favorite Jane Doe, their Epitaph Records debut You Fail Me, No Heroes, Axe to Fall, All We Love We Leave Behind when I was a sophomore in high school, The Dusk in Us & Love Is Not Enough have all been widely praised for the own individual reasons & are back with Hum of Hurt.
“Slip the Noose” begins with a metalcore intro reminiscent of the Jane Doe era directly tackling generational trauma whereas “Doom in Bloom”combines post-hardcore & sludge metal exploring how Jacob’s middle-aged introspection doesn’t always bring a brighter light. “It Only Gets Worse” spends a couple minutes angrily realizing the world’s indifference towards him & after the intimidating “Detonator” encourages one not to be blown apart by their mistakes, “I Won’t Let You Go” ends the 1st leg with the official Cyberpunk 2077theme.
Kicking off the 2nd half, “It’s Not Up to Us” made for another aggressive moment explaining there’s no end in sight without a will to fight while the doomy “Dream Debris” starts with a simple bass note that builds to a booming crescendo detailing the deception of being led to believe we could be anything we wanted to be. The post-hardcore, metalcore, neocrust & post-metal title track after the “It Used to Matter” composition emotionally examines the price of the lives we pursue & the outro “Nothing’s Over” ends on a sludgier note saying we must rage for the dying light.
Love Is Not Enough made for a great comeback for the greatest metalcore band & following a sense of urgency, Converge have outdone themselves by delivering a raw counterpart retaining the unpredictable potency of their last album. Their signature sound’s still being fused with elements of mathcore & sludge metal similarly to it’s predecessor aside from the hardcore punk undertones being swapped out for post-hardcore for another bleak yet empathetic assessment of the human condition & it’s ongoing deterioration.
This is the 9th studio LP from Brooklyn, New York skateboarder, MC, producer, songwriter, visual artist & model Navy Blue. Breaking out a decade ago off his debut EP According to the Waterbearer, he would go on to drop 9 more EPs & 6 full-lengths preceding the Def Jam Recordings-backed Ways of Knowing produced by Budgie to critical acclaim. Coming off the Memoirs in Armour EP along with The Sword & The Soaring however, he’s refusing to slow down giving us Sir Render almost 7 months later.
“Commencement” opens up with this drumless intro talking about capsizing & turning his life over to God afterwards whereas “Baron” produced by The Alchemist embraces a boom bap vibe instrumentally hitting us with more poetically abstract penmanship. The title track strips the drums once again talking about there being lessons in every move made while “Over” featuring Mike Shabb finds the pair bringing their A-game over a heavenly drumless loop from Shabbo himself, who kicks off that song with his verse.
We get some bare pianos explaining that his “Reflections” are the evidence of God he chose to revel in & talking about how he used to be suicidal while the self-produced “Residuum” featuring Armand Hammer joins forces for a symphonic boom bap heater filled with abstract lyricism that’ve defined each of them firing off 3 deadly verses. “Crux Ansata” drumlessly talks about his broken wings needing to heal while “Belladonna” featuring Earl Sweatshirt boasts of their successes over a somberly dusty Uncle Al beat.
“Aegis” continues the 2nd half of Sir Render remembering when he was 5 looking at his older brother’s casket asking himself whether he’ll wither or ride above it & be what fills the void in his dad’s eyes over a subdued instrumental & after “Circa” featuring the late Ka talks about being healed when we no longer hear from them despite still being here spiritually, “If God Had Legs” brings the keys back in effect describing him overcoming Ka’s sudden death a year & a half ago.
To get the album’s final act going, “Next Life” hops over yet another drumless loops talking about letting the tree falling & his exposing his roots while “The Birth of Medicine” discusses him praying for the transpiration of his grief along with the assurance of who he is isn’t who he’s perceived to be. “Bleeding Scarlet” offers a calmer atmosphere with a powerful verse to begin & the other half serving as more of an outro while “F.E.A.R. (Forgetting Everything And Running)” explains what fear is to him.
Sir Render makes for a satisfying conclusion to Navy Blue’s knighthood trilogy in which Memoirs in Armour began and The Sword & The Soaring bridged, picking up where both it’s predecessors left off & landing right behind the latter to become my 2nd favorite installment of this entire arc. Maybe surpassing it even. The production’s mostly drumless & jazzy like its counterparts other than a couple occasional moments, enlisting some of abstract hip hop’s finest past & present to make people grapple with their previous selves.
Here we have the 6th studio LP & Loma Vista Recordings debut from Compton, California rapper, singer/songwriter & actor Vince Staples Emerging as a close affiliate of the now defunct Odd Future collective, he would go on to release 4 mixtapes before signing a joint deal with Blacksmith Records & even No I.D.’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. My personal favorite of which being Stolen Youth, which was entirely produced by the late Mac Miller. His first major label outing Hell Can Wait was a dope little EP preluding the full-length debut Summertime ‘06, which became one of the best double disc albums of the previous decade. Vince later detailed the pitfalls that came with his success on the next EP Prima Donna & the dude’s sophomore effort Big Fish Theory was easily his most experimental work yet. He later teamed up with Kenny Beats for his 3rd EP FM! & his eponymous 3rd album but coming off Ramona Park Broke My Heart & some Dark Times, he’s ready to air out a Cry Baby.
The lead single “Blackberry Marmalade” blends conscious hip hop, post-punk, political hip hop, post-punk revival, rap rock, hardcore hip hop & experimental hip hop to talk about racism in the United States whereas “Go! Go! Gorilla” takes a funkier approach instrumentally explaining that the police have always been the strongest enemy African Americans have always had & having nobody to trust because of crooked cops abusing their power.
“White Flag” combines political hip hop, conscious hip hop, neo-soul, blues rock, rap rock, dub & post-punk for the 2nd single declaring his surrender of patience towards putting up with white supremacy just before “The Running Man” embraces more of a punk rap vibe talking about missing the days he used to aspire along with leaving his baggage behind since he didn’t feel like there was anything worthy of bringing & nobody being safe from the war that’s occurring outside.
Reaching the halfway point, “TV Guide” discusses the way television has been controlling the masses & them assuming everything they see on the news to be true prior to “The Big Bad Wolf” kicking off the 2nd half embracing a funk rock sound talking about a police officer shooting at an innocent bystander based on the color of his skin. “Only in America” once more takes a jab at the systematic racism & admits he’s been in search of a breakthrough after being hurt since last spring.
“Do You Know the Devil?” winds down the last moments of Cry Baby asking if one will find God or fall from grace life when gets hard & death gets way too close for one to be comfortable while the 3rd & final single “Cotton” crosses over elements of funk rock, psychedelic rock & conscious hip hop talking about black people’s stories of survival being exploited for money. “7 in the Morning” finishes the album channeling a more militant mindset pondering why some view the death of his people as entertainment.
It should go without saying that Vince Staples’ independent debut Cry Baby will easily become the most politically charged entry of his discography since the Hell Can Wait EP back when I was senior in high school, joining the likes of Summertime ‘06 & Big Fish Theory for a top 3 spot in his discography. The production is a rebellious melting pot of rap rock, funk rock, conscious hip hop, post-punk, post-punk revival, rap rock, hardcore hip hop, experimental hip hop, psychedelic rock, neo-soul, blues rock & dub music expressing the frustration of the rise of fascism.
This is the full-length studio debut from Suriname-born albeit Amsterdam-raised singer/songwriter Imani Imani. Being introduced through her feature on the unreleased Kendrick Lamar track “I Feel Something” that was previewed at the beginning of 2024 in promotion of Chanel’s Spring-Summer Haute Couture Show a few months afterwards, she’s returning after almost 2 & a half years signing to pgLang & Interscope Records to surprise-drop Papercut in celebration of her new major label deal.
“Bet on Me” kicks things off with this passionate R&B intro singing about knowing what’s on her lover’s mind & feeling what he says without even knowing his name whereas “Come Together” peppily suggests that she & her lover need to make some improvements within their relationship. “Snatch” sings about a man who gets her high since she gives her dreams & lifestyle over pianos leading into “On Demand” leans towards a synth-funk direction assuring her partner she’ll be here waiting for him.
Moving on from there, “You’re Mine” delicately finishes the 1st leg of Imani’s debut singing about her preference of having men obsessed with her while the stripped-back “Mindgames” admits that she can’t lay her head down for too long when her romantic interest isn’t with her. “Slideee” gives off more of a dance-pop vibe yearning to put her waist on her soulmate’s body while “Chasing” incorporates more acoustics singing about trying to find peace regardless of rain never ceasing.
“1 of 1” nears closer towards the end of Imani’s debut embracing a more alternative R&B direction wanting to feel her muse’s love & pillow talk until the sunrise while the final song “Let Go (Wishes)” preceding the compositional “My Mistakes” outro croons about needing some time away from her own mind & asking if this individual would stay with her for a bit or run over an instrumental that had a bit of a minimalistic quality to it.
Considering that Baby Keem & Tanna Leone are both primarily rappers, I fully support the idea of Kendrick giving Imani Imani the right to call herself First Lady of pgLang & depart from the hip hop sound all 3 of the label’s other artists are primarily known for. The comparisons I’ve already seen made by Drake fans on social media to OVO Sound’s First Lady Naomi Sharon is stupid considering OVO’s been signing R&B acts in addition to Naomi being more rooted in the smooth soul side of things rather than Imani’s own style varying between contemporary & alternative R&B to dance-pop.
Here is the 3rd & potentially final studio LP from Athens, Georgia recording artist Babystaydown. Somebody who already has 16 EPs under his belt including PL Top Recruits, 1,350, Drugz Sex & Money and it’s sequel, 17, Genesis, his Cegular Records/Sony Music debut Hate da Way Um Livin, Saint, Pain Before Pleasure, Chief 13, Aimai, I.L.M.F. (I Love My Friends), ##Kool ##Kat & the Lost Files duology. Coming off his full-length debut album Born Anew as well as his sophomore effort Art of War & his most recent EP I.B.S.D.W.M.P. (I Been Still Dealing With My Pain) to drop the introspective Lil Yae.
“Mob Boss” opens up with this stunning plugg intro produced by Whyceg depicting imagery of the gangsta life whereas “Dirty Diana” works in this lovely woodwind from Traiqo talking about refusing to take his time because he’s gotta get it. “Free4nixkk” hops over another Whyceg instrumental admitting that he’s been doing everything he can lately leading into “Hate” talking about getting outside of the ghetto on top of a predominantly bare piano.
Whyceg sticks around behind the boards for “Magnolia” so Babystaydown can discuss being ready for his demise since he lives like a soldier while the atmospheric “That’s Just Life” talks about responding to those asking of his wellbeing that he’s been merely alright. “Van Cleef” concludes the 1st half expressing his confusion of being compared to other artists over more delightful Whyceg beats prior to “Energy” spaciously beginning the 2nd leg understanding his bitch not standing him because he’s fucked inside the head.
“Monogamy” finds Cade helping Whyceg carry over the cloudy elements detailing a relationship where an ex-girlfriend of staydown’s claimed to love no one else but him while “Baby Haitian” exuberantly talks about him schemin’ throughout the course of an entire night. “Strange” leans back towards the cloudier side of things stating they hate him now he’s rich while “2 Feet” talks about looking around & seeing a bunch of rich people in the same room he’s in.
The song “Bygones” winds down Lil Yae’s final moments with combining this dreamy backdrop & skittering hi-hats looking to bust shots at anyone who tries to jump him while “Fake Love” hits us with 1 last Whyceg instrumental talking about the Draco turning his opps into angel dust. The closing track “White Keys” officially sends off the album him spending $10K on made him realize how serious his career’s been starting to become.
Almost a couple weeks earlier, Babystaydown took to social media to say that 2026 will be his final year making music because of people spewing fuck shit out their mouths & I hope that isn’t the case considering Lil Yae would be placed on the same pedestal Art of War was 7 months earlier. He rocks the mic by himself similarly to I.B.S.D.W.M.P. (I Been Still Dealing With My Pain) & the production’s less rage-inducing than the last full-length although the 46% of it Whyceg handles provides the half hour’s most enjoyable collection of pop rap, plugg, cloud rap & trap.
Here we have the 4th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Latto. Winning the very first season of The Rap Game & eventually turned down a deal with So So Def Recordings because it wasn’t enough money, she eventually broke through a few summers back after signing to RCA Records & putting out a decent full-length debut Queen of da Souf. The sophomore effort 777 in 2022 sure enough won me over & her previous album Sugar Honey Iced Tea a couple years earlier was alright, welcoming this era of her career as the Big Mama with open arms
“Business & Personal” produced by Coupe & Pooh Beatz begins talking about motherhood slowing nothing down but the horsepower but once “Get Money Girl” recalls people initially thinking she wasn’t serious regarding her music career until declining the So So Def contract, “G.O.M.F. (Get Out My Face)” featuring Glorilla samples “Yahhh by Soulja Boy & Arab for a crunk single individually addressing some rumors that’ve been made about them.
Former PWG World Champion, 2-time WWE world champion & the longest reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther retiring 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena by gets referenced on “Chrome Heart Diaper Bag” once again talking about becoming a mother just before “Okayyy” featuring Doja Cat unites for a passable pop rap single.
“Hostage” featuring the father of her child 21 Savage disses Washington Wizards point guard Trae Young for some reason sampling “For the Love of You” by The Isley Brothers prior to “Death Row” talking about real bitches staying 10 toes down. “Onnat” flips “Kryptonite (I’m On It)” by the Purple Ribbon All-Stars discussing the typa shit she’s on lately while “Gimme Dat” ends the 1st half of Big Mama taking a jab at Cardi B after their Twitter spat back in October.
We have “Fallin’” kicking off the 2nd leg of the album opening up more regarding her relationship with 21 while “Need Luv 2” featuring Sexyy Red finds the 2 talking about gangsta bitches needing love as much as the male Gs do. “Make Me” featuring Mariah the Scientist blends alternative R&B & pop rap for a duet where they’re telling their respective partners to make them shut up while “Naked” continues the lustful themes talking about wanting to see the real 21.
“Anxious” featuring Wizkid takes inspiration from Afrobeats asking their lovers if their hearts ever skip a beat when they’re with both artists while “4L” talks about 21 Savage helping her get out of her comfort zone. After the “Daddy’s Little Girl” interlude details her upbringings, “Mama” featuring Jelly Roll links up for an ode to Latto’s mother while “Somebody” concludes with an interpolation of “Are You That Somebody?” by the late Aaliyah over a sample of “Give It to Me Baby” by the late Rick James.
I truly couldn’t tell you if this will be the last we’ll ever heard from Latto musically especially since she later admitted that her retirement was fueled by post-partum depression, but she still hasn’t topped 777 & would consider Big Mama to be a mild note to end on if she’s really done. The production mostly handled by Coupe & Pooh Beatz was an improvement over Sugar Honey Ice Tea’s, although the subject matter from the main artist & the guests themselves are mostly average outside of some profound moments.
Brand new solo LP & the 5th overall from New Orleans rapper, producer & deejay $crim of the $uicideboy$. The first of the boy$ to branch out on his own by dropping the solo debut A Man Rose to the Dead during the COVID-19 pandemic to mixed-to-negative reception including from myself. Lonely Boy was a solid introduction to $crim’s alter-ego even though you can tell it was inspired by Destroy Lonely’s debut album If Looks Could Kill & the sequelLonely Boy 2 was more of a thank you, coming off Via Crucis for the 3-hour Runaway.
“a nightmare worth pursuing” produced by both $crim & G*59 Record$ in-house producer Dynox begins with Budd Dwyer asking God gives him a peace of mind prior to “claymore” admitting that he’s feeling dead as of late & pouring a bottle up for the shit he bottles up now. “is this really it?” poses the question whether or not there truly is an afterlife when we all die or if it’s lights out while “fort wayne” talks about getting psyched the fuck out.
We have $crim dropping a single verse for “deus vult” preceding an instrumental break & a spoken word outro sampling “Small Café” by the late Leon Ware leading into “broken boy” talking about his struggles with mental health from overdosing on pills to possibly shooting himself as part of suicidal ideation. “range (i don’t show it)” confesses to him waiting all evening got a woman he’s infatuated with just before “bleak midwinter” talks about having no one to call, hence the Lonely Boy nickname.
“if life was fair, ducks would have shotguns” asks if one has ever been killed in a mosh pit & boasting that he’s more eastbound than Danny McBride while “2ndworldvagrant” suggests for everyone to stay the fuck away from him. “country boy” hits us with a freestyle talking about the Devil picking the wrong person to tempt & not being with the drama while “unbelief” confesses to being numb after his grandfather passed as a teenager.
Dynox gets behind the boards once again for “blood knife” asking God to have mercy on a sinner like him while “clairaudience” talks about the nights growing longer & the days becoming shorter, suggesting the reaper’s close if he isn’t here already. “dead eyes ent” likens him & his brother $lim Gucci to the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champions & current 2-time HoG Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz while “broken vessels” addresses the children who only know goodbyes.
“moments of nothing & bridges to nowhere” asks himself if anyone would ever noticed if something were to happen to him when I’m sure the G*59 fanbase would while “calabasas” issues a response to the people who claim he doesn’t act Christian, claiming he found God in the middle of a smokey meeting. “tears of war” references his squad’s health & wellness coach Jewel Scott while “get behind me, Satan!” talks about the way he be swervin’ the coupe.
Things make a turn for bombastic territory during “north like korea” looking to shake up the entire block by staying where the schemes are at while “american spirits” flips “Right My Wrongs” by Bryson Tiller talking about the voices in his head that won’t go away until his time comes. “jose alvarado” aims to walk more people down than the New York Knicks’ point guard of the same name while “maybe you’re right…” co-produced by ReidMD of Internet Money Records & Vanguard Music Group talks about him going from his mother kicking him out the house to being a millionaire.
“cortisol” for being Runaway’s only single didn’t really make me any more or less excited for it regardless of him describing the stress hormones taking over while “the narrow door” samples “Changes” by Black Sabbath talking about counting his nights after wasting half his life. “weep for me, for i whither away” explains that his road’s already been chosen & being too far gone to return while “nightmare on the northside 4” continues the saga containing 5 different musical sections of it’s own.
My 2nd favorite Ye single “Runaway” gets interpolated on “trackstar” to end the 1st leg of the full-length realizing there’s no escaping nothing no matter where he goes while “another man” confronts a woman demanding to know whether or not she’d still love him if he was a regular guy. “heaven 4 a fiend” shows optimism regarding there possibly being a paradise for drug addicts while “freestyle courtesy of trauma” has a more cutthroat approach in terms of lyrics & delivery.
“hourglasses” gives the world a glimpse inside of his diary instead of chasing for hits & others being completely unaware that he’s terrified in the inside while “i don’t go outside anymore” talks about being alone in his room convinced that he’s unworthy of healing. “silent floods” admits to the fear he has of losing his life & crying when he’s driving by himself while “color me dead” talks about none of these pussies wanting smoke with his team.
The soul sample Wetto chops up “for the love of the game” was pretty impressive boasting that he’s already popped off more than he could count while “bleeding ghosts” tried to figure out how some people perceive him. “widow voice note 48” splits itself in 2 separate halves admitting that he hates the life he has as much as his own family does & becoming a dad himself while “screw tape letters” suggests for his girl to backstab him in the chest if that’s what she intends to do.
“baptized in ash” talks about him never giving any fucks over the course of his career & demanding for all the sick pedophiles in the world to be executed while “wojak” interestingly flips “Bossier City Kidnap Victims” firmly confident of these lame ass dudes eventually phasing out because they don’t phase him even a little. “skrt cobain” comes through with another 2-parter detailing what he would say was amongst the loneliest days of his life while “saint maximilian kolbe” talks about consuming 20 pills.
One of the more melodic moments easily has to be “lest i die because of her” encouraging a woman he’s been interacting with to stop doubting herself & for all the fuckboys to hit the bricks while the “starlight freestyle” cloudily talks about having to play his cards right. “lord, i’m tired” much like “broken boy” contemplates suicide except he’s asking for God to take the pain away while “dirty realism” calling for those who’re truly about it to raise their guns up.
“sans deur” discusses his murderous tendencies & every day growing colder than the winter while the rage-inducing “bust down keanu reeves” tries to figure out what everyone else be talking about exactly. “a mother’s burden” assures a woman whose face is painted with regret that he’ll literally starve to death for her while “is it worse to live as a monster or die a good man?” pleads for this person to make a reservation for their expectations.
There’s a bit of an emo influence to “comfortably numb”, singing over a guitar about getting an individual to no longer hurt him again since he feels the need for a companion while “swan song” raps of him being forever trapped inside of the hero they demand. “credo” flexes that his girl won’t ever need a full-time job unlike some of these other rappers while “millionaires vow of poverty” talks about hustling for the fuck of it & disassociating because of life feeling like a trance.
“narco melody” finally winds down the last moments of Runaway asking why he feels alone & broken preceding the urges of taking his own life getting to him not too long following a beat switch while “memento mori” talks about his entire body itching from the drugs he’s been sippin’ along with losing what little pieces left of me with each day passing. “all death is certain” takes up the last 3 minutes hopping over a bare guitar to discuss life constantly breaking down.
Since 2018 already, I’ve primarily been positive whenever reviewing the $uicideboy$ & G*59 as a label other than an exception or maybe 2. That said: I do think Runaway has more enjoyable moments rooted in trap, emo rap, Christian hip hop, rage & bounce than A Man Rose to the Dead even if I’d have to say it’s the 2nd weakest entry in $crim’s solo catalog. Putting aside the fact that it’s 59 tracks as a nod to G*59, I would’ve enjoyed the album A LOT more if the amount of filler wasn’t a giant elephant in the room
Legends Will Never Die 