Snoop Dogg – “I Wanna Thank Me” review

Snoop Dogg is a Long Beach, California icon that really doesn’t need a proper introduction at this point. We all should know by now that he solidified himself as such with his heavy contributions to his mentor Dr. Dre’s seminal 1992 solo debut The Chronic along with his own equally groundbreaking debut album Doggystyle the following year. Then came the infamous murder charges Snoop faced in the mid-90s, of which he was later acquitted of. He would then come back with his sophomore album Tha Doggfather, but would leave Death Row Records not too long after it came out & would go on to release a trilogy of albums with No Limit Records. My personal favorite of them being Tha Last Meal. When his time with the tank came to an end, Snoop would form his own label Doggystyle Records & would go hopping to one major distributor after another to release 11 more albums. This includes an album under a joint venture with Priority Records/Capitol Records, a trilogy with Geffen Records (the first of which being in association with Star Trak Entertainment), 2 albums with just Priority themselves, a reggae album with his wife’s imprint Boss Lady Entertainment in conjunction with Mad Decent/VICE Music/RCA Records in 2013 & a synth-funk album with i am OTHER Entertainment/Columbia Records in 2015 produced by longtime collaborators The Neptunes. However since 2017, he’s mostly been rebuilding his Doggystyle label with the independent powerhouse EMPIRE Distribution backing him up with the exception of a gospel album being released by RCA Records last March. And with the recent addition to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the WWE Hall of Famer is celebrating with his 17th full-length album.

“What U Talkin’ Bout?” speaks on doing things his way over an electro-influenced instrumental whereas “So Misinformed” ponders the legacy of slavery & it’s corresponding diaspora over a laidback beat from DJ Battlecat. “Let Bygones Be Bygones” recalls his Death Row days with bittersweet pride over a g-funk beat leading into “1 Blood, 1 Cuzz” pays tribute to the late Nipsey Hu$$le over yet another Battlecat instrumental that recaptures Snoop’s g-funk roots.

As for “Countdown”, we have Uncle Snoop getting on his Crip shit over a prominent Ohio Players sample that Swizz Beatz laces just before “I C Your Bullshit” looks to rattle the trunks of every car blasting it talking about looking past all the cap coming his way. “Turn Me On” featuring Chris Brown is sappy lust tune with a bouncy Jazze Pha beat while “Blue Face Hunnids” talks about gangbanging over a nocturnal DJ Mustard instrumental

“New Booty” smoothly spits some game to all the new Crips while “Take Me Away” featuring Wiz Khalifa is of course a weed anthem as Russ provides a generic beat & an annoying hook. “Do It When I’m In It” with Ozuna & Slim Jxmmi sees the 3 getting raunchy over a Latin-influenced beat while“1st Place” gets victorious over a spacious DJ Green Lantern beat.

Moving on from there, “Focused” samples “Focus” by H.E.R. talking about feeling concentrated while “Rise to the Top” with Swizz Beatz & Trey Songz sees the 3 talking about maintaining successful over a mellow instrumental. “Wintertime in June” featuring the late Nate Dogg sees the 2 talking about past relationships over a colorful Fredwreck instrumental & after the “Doo Wop Thank Me” interlude, the song “Main Phone” with Rick Rock sees the 2 talking about money over a hyphy beat.

“Do You Like I Do” featuring Lil Duval is a weird attempt at reviving new jack swing while the song “I’ve Been Looking For You” is a soothing synth-funk cut. “Little Square UBitchU” with Anitta disses an unnamed punk over a Middle Eastern influenced beat while “Ventilation” with Azjah & $tupid Young is essentially the musical equivalent of Steve Buscemi dressing up as a teenager on 30 Rock. The title track at finishes the project reflects on his his accomplishments over yet another g-funk beat from Battlecat.

As a whole, this was a decent body of work focusing on Snoop’s legacy in the midst of him entering his 4th decade in show business & it lived up to my expectations of at least surpassing Bible of Love in terms of quality. I appreciate how he tried to be eclectic trying to make something for everybody with a retrospective theme on 1 hand & on the other, it didn’t need to be 75 minutes long & there are only slightly more hits than there are misses in an hour & 15 minutes.

Score: 3/5

Rick Ross – “Port of Miami 2” review

Rick Ross is a renown 43 year old rapper, entrepreneur & record executive from Carol City, Florida that made his debut on wax in 2000 on Erick Sermon’s 3rd album Erick Onasis. He would eventually make his full-length debut in 2006 with Port of Miami, which was followed up in 2 years later with Trilla. Both of which were just ok, but it wouldn’t be until 2009 that Rozay would really solidify himself as a legend in the game. As Deeper Than Rap, Teflon Don, God Forgives, I Don’t & Mastermind are all rightfully regarded as his best bodies of work. The last time we heard from Ross in a full-length capacity was in 2017 with Rather You Than Me & to commemorate the 13 year anniversary of his debut this month, he’s back with a sequel to the album that started it all.

“Act a Fool” featuring Wale begins bragging over a vibrant trap beat referencing 10-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & $7 Productions co-founder The Rock. The next song “Turnpike Ike” gets luxurious over a beautiful piano instrumental from Jake One while the track “Nobody’s Favorite” with Gunplay sees the 2 talking about their success over a nocturnal trap beat. The song “Summer Reign” gets romantic over a moody beat while the track “White Lines” gets mafioso over an atmospheric beat.

The song “Big Tyme” talks about doing it huge over a lavish Just Blaze instrumental while the track “Bogus Charms” with Meek Mill sees the 2 talking about living on over a beautiful piano instrumental from StreetRunner. The song “Rich N***a Lifestyle” with the late Nipsey Hu$$le needs no further explanation over a blaxploitation-esque instrumental from Cardiak while the track “Born to Kill” with Jeezy sees the 2 talking about death over a dreamy trap beat.

“Fascinated” is a tribute to his friends that’re either dead or in jail over a smooth instrumental & while the track “I Still Pray” with YFN Lucci & Ball Greezy does have one of the most fanciest instrumentals on the entire project provided by DJ Toomp, the lyrics are a vapid diss towards their haters. The song “Running the Streets” with A Boogie wit da Hoodie & Denzel Curry sees the 3 talking about their place in the Florida hip hop scene over a church-esque instrumental while the track “Vegas Residency” is a party anthem with a harmonious instrumental from none other than the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League.

The song “Maybach Music VI” was probably the most anticipated on the entire album, because it was said to feature both Lil Wayne & Pusha T. However despite Pusha not appearing on the song at all, it still sounds grand both lyrically & sonically. The album then finishes up with “Gold Roses”, which is basically an equally boring sequel to that “Money in the Grave” single that Drake dropped not too long ago.

This could very well be better than the original Port of Miami, in my personal opinion. Not only does Rozay continue to show how amazing his ear for production truly is, but his mob bars are of course a lot sharper than they were on his debut & most of the features on here add to ’em pretty solidly. You can also tell that he really took his time with this one in comparison to rushing out some of his latest projects like Hood Billionaire & Black Market.

Score: 3.5/5

Trippie Redd – “!” review

Trippie Redd is a 20 year old rapper from Canton, Ohio who blew up in 2017 with the release of his debut mixtape A Love Letter to You, which was followed up with a mediocre sequel several months later. He later released his debut album LIFE’S A TRIP last summer as well as A Love Letter to You 3 last November & now, he’s commemorating the 1 year anniversary of LIFE’S A TRIP with his sophomore album.

It all starts off with the title track, where Trippie tells this chick he needs to focus on himself over a Diplo instrumental kin to Avicii’s “Wake Me Up”. The next song “Snake Skin” is an anti-suicide anthem with a dreamy trap beat while the track “Be Yourself” is an self-empowering sequel to “I Know How to Self Destruct” with a cloudy beat. The song “I Try” vents about what’s on his mind over a piano with some hi-hats while the track “They Afraid of You” is more of a Playboi Carti joint since he’s the only person on here with a verse & he uses his signature baby voice to discuss fake love over a mellow trap beat.

The song “Immortal” with The Game of all people sees the 2 talking about feeling invincible over a soulful instrumental while the track “Throw It Away” might be towards Alyek$ & the beat is pretty druggy. The song “Keep Ya Head Up” pretty much speaks for itself over a relaxing instrumental from Murda Beatz & Ging while the track “Riot” gets into fight mode over a beat with some acoustic passages.

The song “Mac 10” sounds like a leftover from Lil Duke’s latest mixtape Blue Devil 2 since there’s little to no Trippie presence whatsoever while the track “Everything BoZ” with Coi Leray sees the 2 getting boastful over a dreary beat. The song “Under Enemy Arms” talks about his wealth & naysayers over a triumphant beat while the penultimate track “Lil Wayne” in no way references back to the legendary Louisiana rapper of the same name whatsoever & the beat on here is bland as Hell. The album then finishes fittingly with “Signing Off”, where Trippie talks about not having time for bullshit over a nondescript instrumental.

Overall, this was just decent. Trippie is definitely one of the best voices in the emo rap trend & the instrumentals sound a lot better than they did on LIFE’S A TRIP, but quite a few tracks really could’ve been fleshed out more.

Score: 3/5

MURS & 9th Wonder – “The Iliad‘s Dead & The Odyssey’s Over” review

MURS & 9th Wonder are an underground super-duo consisting of former Little Brother producer 9th Wonder & former Living Legends wordsmith MURS. The pair made their debut in 2004 with the Definitive Jux backed MURS 3:16: The 9th Edition & followed it up in 2006 with Murray’s Revenge. They continued to show how strong their chemistry was on Sweet Lord, Fornever & were supposed to disband after The Final Adventure in 2012. They eventually reformed in on New Year’s Eve 2015 with Brighter Daze & with the 15 year anniversary of their debut this past March, they’re celebrating with their 7th & supposedly final full-length album.

The album kicks off with “The Hulk”, where MURS reaffirms his rapping prowess over a boom bap beat with a funky bass-line. The next song “Cancun ‘08” with Pookie Blow & $ilk Money sees the 3 recalling a party they went to over a jazzy boom bap beat while the track “My Hero” tells the story of a woman named Alexis over a somberly jazzy beat.

The song “Ga$ Station Gucci Belt” talks about the street life over a venomous beat while the track “Unicorn Glitter” insightfully talks about pussy over a boom bap beat with an acoustic guitar. The song “High Noon” with Rapsody sees the 2 going back & forth nonchalantly about grinding over a mellow instrumental from 9th Wonder’s 15 year old daughter JDEAFBEATS while the song “Night Shift” talks about his live performances over some prominent piano chords.

The song “Give Me a Reason” tries to apologize to an ex over an atmospheric boom bap beat while the track “Super Cojo Bros.” with GQ sees the 2 talking about going at their enemies over an instrumental with some amazing retro video game samples. The song “Fuck Them” tries to console a woman who gets constantly cheated on over a soulful beat while the track “Tony Robbins Pocketbook” talks about searching for God over some strings. The album then finishes with “SIN”, where MURS vividly details relationship drama over a boom bap beat with a beautiful soul sample.

If this truly is the last time we’ll ever hear these 2 in a full-length capacity, then they went out on a high note. The features were mostly ok, but MURS’ storytelling remains on point with 9th Wonder providing a fantastic musical backdrop.

Score: 4/5

Saint Dog – “Bozo” review

Saint Dog is a 43 year old rapper from Chisholm, Minnesota that came up as a member of the trio P.T.B. with D-Loc & Johnny Richter, all 3 of whom would later form the Kottonmouth Kings with Daddy X in 1996. He would eventually leave KMK in 1999, but would remain on Suburban Noize Records & make his solo debut 5 years later with Ghetto Guide. This would be followed up in 2006 with U.S.A. (Unconformable Social Amputees) but after rejoining Kottonmouth recently, he’s coming back with his 3rd full-length album.

The album kicks off with “Sounds of the Underground”, where Saint Dog talks about the things people say about him over a instrumental that’s perfect for the clubs. The title track sings about the things he sees in this person over a laidback instrumental while the song “I’m Living Life (Right Now)” with Danny Diablo & Syniister sees the 3 talking down to their competition over an instrumental that sounds like something Dr. Dre & Scott Storch would’ve made together in the 2000s.

The track ”West Side” with Kung Fu Vampire & Mars of course details the gritty life in California over an eerie beat while the song “Bar Door Sign” with The DRP & Prolifik is of course an alcohol banger with a thumping beat. The track “Same Ol’ Screaming” charismatically brags over an electronic beat with some live drumming while the song “She Be Wifey” talks about how fine this woman is over a trap beat with some plinky keys.

The track “Pixie Girl” is a stripper anthem with an unexpected EDM influenced beat from UnderRated while the song “Gangsta Ways” needs no further explanation over an acoustic instrumental. The track “Bang Bang” with Skribbal sees the 2 getting vicious over an instrumental with a prominent piano & some g-funk synthesizers that pop up during the hook while the song “Already Dude” gets reflective over another instrumental that kinda has a Dr. Dre/Scott Storch influence to it.

The track “Love (Is What I Got)” is a clumsily delivered romance tune with some great acoustic guitar passages while the song “Lay Low” with Big Hoss & Jaysin Logik sends a warning to those who oppose them over some keyboards. The penultimate track “Where I Stay” with Lil Jerry is a dedication to California with a summery beat & then the album ends with “Stir It Up”, which is a killer rap rock cut.

Overall, this was a pretty solid comeback for the O.G. Kottonmouth King who was kicked out of the group after their classic debut album Royal Highness by Daddy X. The production is decent as were most of the features, but Saint Dog sounds very focused & passionate to be back on the mic.

Score: 3.5/5

ИF – “The Search” review

ИF is a 28 year old rapper from Gladwin, Michigan who started out in 2010 with his debut mixtape Moments. 4 years later, he signed to Capitol Records & made his full-length debut the following year with Mansion. This was followed up in 2016 with Therapy Session, but it wouldn’t be until 2017 where ИF would finally achieve mainstream success with Perception. He’s been laying low since then but now, he’s returning with his 4th full-length album.

It all kicks off with the title track, where ИF rambles about his newfound fame over an apocalyptic trap beat. The next song “Leave Me Alone” talks about his mental heath over an orchestral instrumental while the track “Change” simplistically talks about just that over a minimalist trap beat. The track “My Stress” pretty much sees him whining over a moody trap beat while the song “Nate” looks back on his younger self over a bland beat.

The next track is a pointlessly extended version of the closer while the song “Returns” hilariously tries to get confrontational over a dark beat. The track “When I Grow Up” talks about hip hop being his #1 passion over some plinky keys & strings while “Only” is a sappy love tune heavy revolving around the Sasha Sloan song with the same name.

The track “Let Me Go” moans about someone who won’t accept him over a nocturnal beat & after the interlude, the track “Hate Myself” talks about depression over some militant drums with a piano in the background. The song “I Miss the Days” reflects on his childhood over some keyboards while the track “No Excuses” is another attempt at being edgy with a generic trap beat.

The song “Like This” talks about going through the motions over an atmospheric beat while the track “Options” talks about how he has to make it over an eerily dime a dozen trap beat. The song “WHY?” is pretty much the same as the opener while the track “Thinking” gets reflective over a cavernous trap beat.

The song “Trauma” cries about someone who won’t love him back over a bare piano instrumental & then the torture finally ends with “Time”, which pays tribute to ИF’s wife over a nondescript beat.

There’s not much else for me to say beyond that, this was truly a painful listening experience. It sounds a bit more passionate than his previous work but the lyrics are cornier than ever, the production is uneventful, it’s 1-dimensional & it REALLY did not need to be 80 minutes long.

Score: 1.5/5

UBI – “U.B.I. (Under Bad Influence)” review

UBI is a 40 year old MC from Kansas City, Missouri who came up as a member of the CES Cru. A group that has had multiple members, but only he & Godemis have stuck around since it’s inception. They’ve made themselves at home with indie hip hop powerhouse Strange Music since 2012 & with Godemis recently talking a break from music due to personal issues, UBI has saw fit to deliver a full-length album on his own.

The album kicks off with “Gameshow”, where UBI talks about his prowess over a nocturnal boom bap beat from Kato. The next song “Lock Load Shoot” talks about his rise up over a trap beat from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 with some very smart old school samples while the track “The Quill” with The Palmer Squares sees the 3 talking about being underdogs over a cavernous trap beat from Leonard DStroy. The song “Read ‘Em & Weep” talks about UBI’s grind over a symphonic beat while the track “What If?” ponders the biggest mysteries of life over a funky boom bap beat from 7.

The song “Light ‘Em Up” is a hard hitting CES Cru reunion while the track “Missing Somethin’” talks about depression over a boom bap beat with some somber piano keys. The song “Double Yous” with Maez301 talks about being successful over a banger trap beat while the track “The Good Guy” is an endearing positivity anthem. The song “What It Takes” takes the listener through the things he’s done to get him where he is today over a demented Kato instrumental while the track “Involved” takes a jab at the frauds over an apocalyptic 7 beat.

The song “Pharmacy” talks about fiendin’ over a druggy trap beat while the track “Way Down” reflects on his past over a wavily settle beat. The song “Prey” gets into battle bar mode over a militant beat while the track “Madness” with Breaking Bad News sees the 3 speaking on just that over a funky bass-line with some sinister horns. The song “Get Busy” with Locksmith, King Iso & Jarren Benton sees the 4 talking about hip hop being their religion over a gritty 7 beat while the penultimate track “Bitty Betty” with Joey Cool & Karma Knows sees the 3 is a decent alcohol anthem. The album then finishes with a “Madness” sequel with Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko & ¡MAYDAY! that’s just as a raw as the original on all fronts.

All that being said, I really think Ubiquitous has really solidified himself as a solo artist on this one. The production is a lot better than it was on his 2012 mixtape Matter Don’t Money & you can really tell the dude you really put his heart into it.

Score: 3.5/5

Rich Brian – “The Sailor” review

Rich Brian is a 19 year old rapper from Indonesia known for being a member of the 88rising collective. He made his debut last year with Amen & now, he’s back with his sophomore album.

It all starts with the title track, where Brian gets introspective over a grimy boom bap beat. The next song “Rapapapa” with RZA of all people sees the 2 getting romantic over a harmonious trap beat while the track “Yellow” vents about Brian’s personal issues over a church-esque instrumental. The song “Kids” talks about Brian’s background over a triumphant boom bap beat while the track “Drive Safe” tells the story of a long distance relationship over some somber guitar chords.

The song “Confetti” brags over a monstrous instrumental while the track “Vacant” sees Brian telling this girl why he’s better for her over an intoxicating instrumental. The song “No Worries” talks about how he’s socially awkward over a piano-inflicted trap beat while the track “100°” is a fun summer anthem. The song “Slow Down Turbo” talks about how life’s moving too fast for him over an instrumental that starts off with a Godly atmosphere, but then switches into something more spacey. The penultimate track “Curious” ponders his biggest questions over an acoustic instrumental & then the album ends with “Where Does the Time Go?”, where Brian & Joji talk about hoes over another acoustic instrumental.

Never been a big fan of this dude in the past, but this has me officially sold on him. The production is a lot more versatile & Brian’s personality shines a lot brighter through the songwriting.

Score: 3.5/5

Anybody Killa – “Tampon Juice” review

Anybody Killa is a 43 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who started out as a member of the Krazy Klan with his childhood friend Lavel. He eventually went solo in 2000 with Rain from the Sun, but it wouldn’t be until 2002 that he would make his big break in the underground when the Insane Clown Posse signed him to Psychopathic Records & released his sophomore album Hatchet Warrior. This was followed up in 2004 with Dirty History & the Road Fools EP a year after, but ABK decided to form his own label Native World Inc. in 2006 & he even left Psychopathic temporarily so he could focus on building his own brand. His 2008 comeback Mudface ended up being a total mess on all fronts, but he would eventually team up with Brian Kuma in 2010 to make up for it with Medicine Bag. Almost a decade later, he’s back on the scene with his long-awaited 6th full-length album.

After the “You Got the Juice” intro, we go into the first song “Good Times”. Essentially a celebratory anthem with a funky beat. The next track “Cobra Moves” is filled with battle bars with an Middle Eastern trap beat while the track “Ima Let It Go” spits that gun talk over a sporadic instrumental. The song “What Should I Get Into?” has a great concept, but ABK’s vocals are mixed so low. The track “Where da Hype At?” gets victorious over a triumphant trap beat while the song “My Significant Other” is a tribute to ABK’s special lady with a settle instrumental.

The track “Finally” gets into fight mode with a menacing beat while the song “Deadly Addictions” talks about internal conflict over a spacious beat. The track “So Far Gone” talks about being insane over a generic trap beat while the song “I Tell the Truth” talks about going into beast mode over a rowdy beat. The penultimate track “Upside Ya Head” gets into fight mode once again this time over a decent rap rock instrumental & then the album ends with “Flying High”, where ABK talks about his success over an uplifting beat.

For the 9 year wait, this was a decent comeback. The production could’ve been better at points & it could’ve used a couple features to break up the monotony, but the Hatchet Warrior shows that he’s still got it because he sounds very refreshed on here.

Score: 3/5

The Underground Avengers – “Dark Matter” review

The Underground Avengers are a southern hip hop supergroup consisting of Arlington, Texas emcee Claas as well as Covington, Georgia & Louisville, Kentucky duo The Horde a.k.a. Boondox & Bukshot. They first assembled in 2012 with their self-titled EP, but then disappeared shortly after. Then with the help of Majik Ninja Entertainment late last August, they reformed to drop their debut album Anomaly 88. Now 11 months later, they’re back with their sophomore album & have enlisted Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to produce it from front to back.

After the “Dragonfly 44” intro, we go into the first song “Black Summer”. Where the trio get vicious over a haunting trap beat. The track “Tribulation” attacks fake people over a symphonic trap beat while the song “1 More Night” of course talks about partying over a rap rock beat. The title track is pretty much a decent spoken word interlude & then the next song “Chimera” talks about internal conflict over a nocturnal beat.

After the “Hecatomb” interlude, we go another interlude with with “Protocol”. We finally get back into the music with “Invasion”, where the Avengers get with Young Wicked & The Jokerr to compare themselves to aliens over a sinister trap beat. The penultimate track “God Particle” is a fantastically gritty sequel to the equally star-studded “Thanos” off of the Avengers’ previous effort & then album ends with the “Coda” spoken word piece.

This is yet another solid effort from the Avengers. There are a little too many interludes/skits for me, but the chemistry between the trio is still strong & 7’s production suits them fantastically.

Score: 3.5/5