MadGibbs – “Bandana” review

MadGibbs is a super-duo consisting of the renown Oxnard, California producer Madlib & Gary, Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs. The 2 started out releasing a handful of EPs throughout this decade, but it wouldn’t be until 2014 that saw the release of their iconic full-length debut Piñata. 5 years have passed & the duo have released their long-awaited sophomore album.

After the “Obrigado” intro, we go into the first song “Freestyle Shit”. Where Freddie pretty much raps about wanting it all over a jazzy beat. The track “Half Manne Half Cocaine” canes about the things he deserves over a surprisingly banging trap beat that later switches into something more nocturnal while the song “Crime Pays” of course talks about drug dealing over a soothing instrumental. The track “Massage Seats” flaunts about his new lifestyle over a prominent with a female vocal sample while the song “Palmolive” with Pusha T talks about making money & the sample that Madlib incorporates into the cut is alluring.

The track “Fake Names” tells the story of someone who was like a brother to him over a somewhat funky boom bap beat that later switches up into some relaxing woodwinds while the song “Flat Tummy Tea” gets mafioso over an intoxicating boom bap beat that later switches up into something more atmospheric. The track “Situations” talks about being a representer over a meditative beat while the song “Giannis” with Anderson .Paak sees the 2 spitting some game to the youth over a Middle Eastern sample. The track “Practice” is dedicated to the mother of his child over a luscious soul sample while the song “Cataracts” gets charismatic over an uplifting instrumental that later switches into more orchestral.

The track “Gat Damn” is a heart-wrenching ode to one of his fallen homies over a boom bap beat that suits the mood while the penultimate song “Education” with Yasiin Bey & Black Thought sees the 3 giving the listeners just that over a luxurious beat. The album finishes off with fireworks on “Soul Right”, where Gangsta Gibbs talks about getting his life together over a synth-heavy instrumental.

There seriously isn’t a single second of this album that I personally dislike, I really think MadGibbs just came through with the best album of 2019 & one that’s just as equally flawless as Piñata was 5 years ago. Madlib’s production is more dynamic than the last album, yet it maintains a unique sound that makes a perfect musical background for Freddie’s coke raps in the vein of an incredible blaxploitation film for the second time in a row.

Score: 5/5

Gucci Mane – “D.O.G. (Delusions Of Grandeur)” review

Gucci Mane is a legendary rapper from Atlanta, Georgia known for being one of the 3 trap pioneers shaping the subgenre to what it is today. However, it wasn’t until 2016 when he finished serving his last prison sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon that he would improve both musically & personally. The dude is known for dropping a couple projects a year & now just 6 months after Evil Genius (which was his only effort last year shockingly), he’s delivering his 14th full-length album.

The album kicks off with “Bussdown”, where Wop talks about not wanting to squash beef over a generically moody beat. The next song “Backwards” with Meek Mill see the 2 getting braggadocious over a lavish Zaytoven beat while the track “Special” with Anuel AA talks about their glow up over a bassy Murda Beatz instrumental with some twinkling piano keys. The song “ICE” sounds like a leftover from Gunna & Lil Baby’s collab tape Drip Harder while the track “Love Thru the Computer” is a painfully corny romance tune.

The song “Proud of You” is a celebration of his new self over a Kenny Beats instrumental with a prominent violin while the track “Bottom” talks about how fine this chick is over a haunting Tay Keith beat. The song “Hands Off” is another sappy love tune while the track “Blind” with A Boogie wit da Hoodie sees the 2 flexing & I really love how Zaytoven samples the classic Nelly cut “Dilemma”. The song “Superstar” is a horrifically delivered celeb anthem with a mellow beat while the track “Upgrade” is a bouncy tribute to his wife.

The song “Lame” with Rick Ross & Wiz Khalifa dissing the titular types of people over a monstrous Southside] beat while the track “Potential” with Lil Uzi Vert & Young Dolph see the 3 sounds like a bland leftover from 1017 vs. the World. The track “Human Chandelier” gets cocky over a nocturnal beat while the song “Us” continues to flaunt over a bass-heavy instrumental.

The song “Look at Me Now” talks yet again about his new life since 2016 over a flute-inflicted Tay Keith beat while the penultimate track “Making a Murderer” gets bloodthirsty over a druggy Murda Beatz instrumental. The outro is a bit of a surprise as well, especially since Wop reunites with PeeWee Longway over a hard hitting Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental.

Yeah, this is yet another decent album from Gucci. There are some catchy bangers, but the buttery cuts like the ones with Justin Bieber & Jeremih weigh it down. Nothing wrong with romance songs but in Gucci’s case, it sounds forced.

Score: 3/5

Lil Keed – “Long Live Mexico” review

Lil Keed is a 21 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia that first gained attention when he landed a contract with Young Thug’s 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records last year, eventually landing a spot on the label’s Slime Language compilation that summer. He eventually made his YSL debut with his 3rd mixtape Keed Talk to ‘Em which was alright, but I was REALLY curious to hear what he was gonna do on his full-length debut over here.

The opener “Ride the Wave” is a hilariously delusional way to start off the album, especially since he’s talking about how he’s paved the way for today’s hip hop landscape when he literally just started. The next song “Oh My God” talks about his come up over a bland beat while the song “Anybody” with Gunna & Lil Duke talks about how they came a long way over an instrumental kin to BEAUTIFUL THUGGER GIRLS. The track “Rockstar” with ΠΔV is a vapid look into the titular lifestyle with a generic beat while the song “Million Dollar Mansion” with Young Thug sees the 2 charismatically boasting over an bass-heavy Pi’erre Bourne instrumental.

The track “H.B.S. (Hood Baby Shit)” is a decently druggy brag while the song “Tip Top” by Guap Tarantino & MSA PG feels totally out of place since Lil Keed has little to no presence at all despite the soothing Turbo instrumental. The track “Child” with Moneybagg Yo sees the 2 talking about their hustling days over a horror-esque trap beat while the song “Snake” is a diss towards an unnamed person over Pyrex Whippa & Cubeatz instrumental that has a bit of a country twang to it. The track “Pass It Out” with Lil Gotit is a party anthem with a Godly instrumental from Metro Boomin’ while the song “Pull Up” with Lil Uzi Vert & YNW Melly talks about their new lifestyles over a vibrant instrumental with a prominent woodwind.

The track “Real Hood Baby” with Stickbaby talks about growing up in the gutters over a nondescript instrumental while the song “Fear of God” talks about loyalty over a spacious beat. The track “Make U Proud” is a playful love tune while the song “On Everything” talks about this freaky chick over a luscious beat, although it’s less effective as the previous cut. The track “Dragon” with Roddy Ricch sees the 2 is a generic braggadocious cut while the song “Higher N Higher” with Karlae triumphantly talks about their success over a buttery instrumental.

The track “Ride wit You” is an annoyingly repetitive romance cut with a beautifully synthesizer-heavy instrumental while the song “Just a Dream” is actually a pretty cool continuation of the last track with an atmospheric beat. The album then finishes off with “Proud of Me”, where Keed & Young Thug pay an endearing tribute to the legendary Gucci Mane over a piano-inflicted trap beat.

Overall, this was just ok. The beats are slightly better than last time & even though I feel like Lil Keed is showing his potential a little bit more, he’s also still living in the shadows of his mentor. Hopefully he’ll come more into his own on the next project, because he’s definitely one of the best YSL signees currently.

Score: 2.5/5

Big Shoes – Self-titled review

Big Shoes is a super-duo from Detroit, Michigan consisting of House Shoes on the boards & Big Tone on the mic. The 2 have made names for each other over the years whether that be House Shoes’ Let It Go or Tone’s The Drought & The Art of Ink. However after knowing each other for their whole lives, it was only right for them to team up & release their self-titled debut together.

The album opens with “Autobiography”, where Tone reflects on his career up until this point over a synth-heavy instrumental. The next song “High Velocity” talks about living life fast over a J Dilla-inspired beat while the track “From My Mouth to God’s Ears” gets conscious over a laidback boom bap beat. The song “King Shit” with Denmark Vessey & MosEL sees the 3 talking about how they do it over a prominent woodwind sees the 3 while the track “Exodus (Fly Away)” gets ambitious over a soulful beat. The song “No Guest List” with Quelle Chris is an ode to those down for the cause over a spacious beat while the track “Homage” pays tribute to the OGs over a luscious beat.

The song “8th Day” with Ta’Raach & 87 sees the 3 getting thankful over a menacing boom bap beat while the track “Most of Us” continues to get conscious over a punchy beat with some skittering synthesizers. The song “Haze” is a soothing weed anthem while the penultimate track “Beautiful Mind” with Blu sees the 2 talking about their blessings in the game over a victorious beat. The album ends with “True Story”, where Tone talks about how this album came together over a soulful beat.

This was just as fantastic as I expected. House Shoes’ production is some of his best yet & the stories that Big Tone tells are very touching. If you wanna hear 2 underrated legends from Detroit teaming up to tell an emotional story together, then PLEASE give this a listen.

Score: 4/5

Kovax – “Manifestor” review

Kovax is a MC from Detroit, Michigan who’s been at it for quite a while now. I personally started noticing him when he opened up for LARS last year, but his set during the show left me impressed to see what he would do in the future. And that leads us to his 5th full-length album, in which he enlists Foul Mouth to produce it in it’s entirety.

It all kicks off with the title track, where Kovax brags about his skills over a trap beat some haunting background vocals. The next song “Dread of Winter” vents about some personal issues over a gloomy beat while the track “Special” talks about his place in the game over a rock/boom bap fusion. The song “I’m So Beat” talks about the positives & negatives of life over a jazzy instrumental while the track “Buzz Kill” is filled with charismatic battle bars over a beat with some prominently somber guitar licking. The song “Ashes” with Xtra Overdoze sees the 2 displaying a vicious chemistry over an eerie trap beat while the track “Heat” talks about how dope he is over a soulful beat.

The song “Desk Job” talks about how trash his competition is over a horror film-esque trap beat while the track “$1.25” talks about his hustle over a trap beat with an immensely dark atmosphere. The song “Popov” takes a jab at his naysayers over a beautiful soul sample while the track “Empathy” talks about someone he’s beefing with over a minimalist beat. The closer “I Won’t Fall” gets triumphant over a joyful beat & then there’s the bonus track “Egodeth”, where Kovax destroys the confidence of all wack rappers over a grimy boom bap beat.

This is easily the man’s best work yet. It’s a little too short, but Foul Mouth continues to prove that he’s the best producer in hip hop right now with his varied instrumental palates & Kovax’ lyricism is more gruesome than ever before.

Score: 4.5/5

Denzel Curry – “ZUU” review

Denzel Curry is a 24 year old MC from Carol City, Florida who came up as a member of the Raider Klan, founded by SpaceGhostPurrp. He caught my attention in 2013 with the release of his debut album Nostalgic 64 which was good, but it wouldn’t be until 2016’s Imperial in 2016 & then last summer’s TA13OO that he would top it. However almost a year after the release of his magnum opus, he’s hitting us again with his 4th full-length album.

It all kicks off with the title track, where Zel pays tribute to his hometown & the FNZ beat has a really pretty atmosphere to it. The official WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames theme song “RICKY” pays tribute to his father over a dirty south style-instrumental while the song “WISH” with Kiddo Marv is a mediocre sex tune a cloudy beat. The track “BIRDZ” with Rick Ross sees the 2 getting confrontational over an eerie trap beat while the song “AUTOMATIC” gets braggadocious over a bass-heavy trap beat from Tay Keith.

The track “SPEEDBOAT” pays tribute to XXXTENTACION over a trap beat with somber piano chords & after the “BUSHY B” interlude, the equally long “YOO” is a pretty decent skit. The track “CAROLMART” talks about how fresh he is over a bouncy beat while the song “SHAKE 88” is an really cool Miami Bass booty anthem. Then after the “Blackland 66.6” skit, the closer “P.A.T.” with PlayThatBoyZay is a fighting anthem with a distorted Ronny J beat.

Despite being worried at first, this wasn’t bad as I feared. Could’ve been padded out with a few more tracks, but it’s a short but fun concept album about Zel’s hometown.

Score: 3.5/5

NEMS – “Gorilla Monsoon” review

NEMS is an MC from Brooklyn, New York who first gained attention in the battle rap field. He made his debut in 2010 with Prezident’s Day & followed it up in 2012 with Coney Soprano but now after years of mixtapes, he’s coming back with his 3rd album.

The album kicks off “Step Aside”, where NEMS is spitting battle bars over a sinister boom bap beat from JAZZSOON (who happens to be the sole producer of the project). The next song “Where You Know Me From?” with Conway the Machine details the gritty street life over a nightmarish instrumental while the track “Timb Boots” gets into fight mode over a funky beat.

“Gahbage” is a ruthless diss towards wack rappers who shove their music down everyone’s throats while the track “Kings” is a dedication to how good NEMS is living over a soulful beat. The song “Lil Niggas” gets back on the battle bar tip over a grimy boom bap beat while the track “Who Got Ya?” brags about his prowess over a piano driven boom bap beat.

After the “Intermission”, the song “200” with Spit Gemz sees the 2 bodying off their competition & their families like disgraced IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & 3-time WCW World Television Champion Chris Benoit over a beat that sounds inspired by a horror film. The track “Heavy Metal” reflects on his past over some prominent drums while the song “Leave Me Alone” gets motivational over a punchy beat.

The penultimate track “No Reggaeton” with Al Doe & Axel Leon is an intriguing Puerto Rican flavored cut & then the album ends with “Token of My Gratitude”, which is essentially a beautiful 3 & a half minute song combined with a 13 minute spoken word outro.

Personally, this is easily NEMS’ magnum opus. There are a couple tracks I could’ve done without but for the most part: JAZZSOON’s beats are hardcore, the rhymes are deadly & it really seems like he put his heart into it.

Score: 4/5

Jim Jones – “El Capo” review

Jim Jones is a legendary rapper from the Bronx who came up as a member of The Diplomats at the beginning of the decade. He released a few albums throughout the 2000s, but he went off the radar after 2011’s Capo. It wasn’t until last year’s Wasted Talent that he would make his comeback & now a year later, he’s delivering his 7th full-length album with The Heatmakerz producing it in it’s entirety.

The album kicks off with “Cristal Ocassions”, where he talks about his rise from nothing to fame over a soulful boom bap beat. The next track “Love of the Hustle” minimalistically recalls his drug dealing deals whereas “Make No Issues of It” brushes off ignorance over some harmonious background vocals. The track “NYC” with Fat Joe pays tribute to their hometown referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a joyous beat while the song “Good Die Young” is a tribute to all of the homies he lost over a beautiful soul sample.

The track “State of the Union” with Rick Ross sees the 2 getting conscious over a mellow beat while the song “Pity in the Summer” with Cam’ron & Fred the Godson is a decent club banger. The track “My Era” with Maino reflects on their pasts over some prominent drums with a soul sample in the background while the song “Nothing Lasts” with Fabolous vents on some life issues over an infectious beat.

The track “Cocaine Dreamin'” with Dave East talks about how their lives a like a movie over a boom bap beat with a sped-up vocal sample. The track “Mama I Made It” with Cam is of course a triumphant success anthem with a nice church choir while the song “To Whom It May Concern” is a fantastic Dipset/Griselda posse cut.

The track “Sports Cars” is all about just that with a decent beat & a perfect Curren$y verse & while “Song Boxing” is short, it’s very cutthroat. The penultimate track “Bread Right” boasts about his money over a dreamy beat & then the album finishes with “Don’t Know What They Took Him For”, where Jim gets with Jadakiss & Philthy Rich to talk about death over a soulful beat.

Overall, this is easily Jim’s best work yet & really the album that I’ve always wanted to hear from him. There are way too many features, but a good chunk of them do their thing. And on top of that, Jim steps his pen-game up continuing the elevation shown on Wasted Talent & The Heatmakerz as Dipset’s in-house production team show why they’re one of the most underrated producers ever.

Score: 4.5/5

100 gecs – “1,000 gecs” review

100 gecs is a hyperpop duo from St. Louis, Missouri consisting of singer/songwriters & producers Dylan Brady & Laura Les. Initially meeting at a high school rodeo, they reunited in 2015 & dropped an eponymous extended play the following year to moderate reception although glimpses of their potential were shown. However, they’ve been getting a lot of attention for the singles preceding their brief full-length debut that they’ve decided to put out through Dylan’s own independent label Dog Show Records.

The remix Parker Corey of Injury Reserve did for the intro “745 Sticky” combines industrial hip hop, glitch hop, deconstructed club, trap, wonky & hybrid trap to talk about the paper whereas their breakout single “money machine” takes a more humorous approach to their songwriting with PC Music founder A.G. Cook’s remix blending bubblegum bass, deconstructed club, industrial hip hop, hyperpop, emo rap & sound collage.

“800db cloud” mixes hyperpop, industrial hip hop, industrial rock, deconstructed club, cyber metal, sludge metal & emo rap asking where the weed’s at while “xXXi_wud_nvrstøp_ÜXXx” after the “stupid horse” interlude interpolates “Kiss Me Through the Phone” by Soulja Boy exploring vocal trance. “ringtone” featuring Charli XCX & Rico Nasty on the remix talks about their partners calling them using different responses over a pop rap, hyperpop, electropop, bubblegum bass, emo rap & digicore instrumental just before “gecgecgec” lets Laura shine on her own for a couple minutes.

Hyperpop, EDM trap, digicore, standard trap, emo rap, hands up, nightcore, bubblegum bass, vocal trance & pop rap all collide for what could be my favorite track they’ve ever done “hand crushed by a mallet” included in WWE 2K24 describing a fight that occurred during a studio session where one of them left & the other one was upset regarding the whole thing while “gec 2 Ü” featuring Dorian Electra on the remix joins forces for a hyperpop, brostep, hands up, glitch & deconstructed club outro talking about their own relationships.

In the mist of all the polarizing reception this album’s been getting, I’d have to strongly disagree with the crowd who’s been calling 1,000 gecsunlistenable & lean more towards the other half of people who’ve been praising 100 gecs for it’s creative amalgamation of multiple genres. Dylan Brady & Laura Les’ production improved their signature hyperpop sound adding elements of deconstructed club, electropop, emo rap, trap, digicore, pop rap, bubblegum bass, industrial hip hop, glitch hop, wonky, hybrid trap, sound collage, industrial rock, cyber metal, sludge metal, electropop, EDM trap, hands up, nightcore, vocal trance, brostep, glitch & deconstructed club to popularize the electropop subgenre.

Score: 4/5

Beast Coast – “Escape from New York” review

The Beast Coast are a New York hip hop collective consisting of Pro Era & Clockwork Indigo (the Flatbush ZOMBiES & The Underachievers). All 3 subgroups blew throughout the decade with the strengths of Joey Bada$$’ debut mixtape 1999, Flatbush’s sophomore tape BetterOffDead & The Underachievers’ sophomore album Evermore: The Art of Duality. Now after all these years of making names for themselves, they’re finally teaming up for their full-length debut as a collective.

The opener “It Ain’t Easy, It Ain’t Easy” by AK, CJ Fly, the Flatbush ZOMBiES & Nyck @ Knight talks about their rise to fame over a bland beat while the next track “Left Hand” by CJ, Clockwork Indigo, Joey Bada$$ & Nyck @ Knight takes a jab at their enemies over a druggy trap beat. The song “Problemz” by CJ, Erick the Architect, Nyck Caution, The Underachievers & Zombie Juice talks about their own issues over a mellow beat while the track “Far Away” by Erick Joey, Meechy Darko & Nyck @ Knight gets romantic over a mellow beat from Powers Pleasant. The song “Snow in the Stadium” by CJ, Erick, Joey, Issa Gold, Kirk Knight & Meechy talks about defeating the best over a cloudy trap beat while the track “Rubberband” sees Flatbush & Joey talks about making dough over a gloomy trap beat.

The song “Distance” by Erick, Issa & Joey talks about feeling free over some pretty keyboards & skittering snares while the track “Bones” by Clockwork Indigo & Nyck @ Knight gets confrontational over a perfectly fitting trap beat. The song “Puke” by AK, Erick, Joey, Meechy & Nyck looks back at when they were broke over some somber piano chords while the track “Desperado” by Joey, Kirk & the 2 Dead Boyz get at their haters over some hi-hats & an ominous acoustic guitar lead. The song “1 More Round” by Erick, Joey, Meechy & Nyck is a headache inducing alcohol anthem with a buttery instrumental while the penultimate track “Coast/Clear” by Flatbush, Issa, Joey & Nyck @ Knight is a horrifically executed friendship ode. The closer “Last Choir” by AK, Erick, Meechy & Nyck @ Knight then talks about being blessed to have made it in the rap game over a joyous instrumental.

While we’ve waited a long time for it, it’s pretty decent. Everyone all sounds great collectively & I love how they didn’t bring on any features as a way of showing that, but the production could’ve been better.

Score: 3/5