Salami Rose Joe Louis – “Zdenka 2080” review

San Diego, California singer/songwriter & producer Salami Rose Joe Louis making her Brainfeeder Records debut with her 3rd studio LP. Introducing herself in 2016 off her full-length debut Son of a Sauce!, the subsequent sophomore effort Zlaty Sauce Nephew a year later was more positively received & interested Flying Lotus enough to the point where he signed her to Brainfeeder distributed by Ninja Tune. And being a FlyLo fan since my teens, I wanted to give Zdenka 2080 a fair chance.

“Suddenly” opens up with this futuristically hypnotic 105 second intro singing about finding life challenging out of nowhere leading into “Octagonal Room” kicking off with a spoken word piece until hitting us with a chorus & post-chorus entering a new dimension. After the “She Wakes Up (1st Dimension)” composition, “Love the Sun” goes for a heavy Stereolab vibe for 2 & a half minutes while the ethereal “Cumulous Potion (For the Clouds to Sing)” after the “Cirrus Floccus (2nd Dimension)” intermission describes a kind of concoction created by a starship from another galaxy.

Dream pop, singer/songwriter & hypnagogic pop all collide on the single “Nostalgic Montage” singing about traveling to see her friends if she were a bird just before “Meet Z in 3D (3rd Dimension)” atmospherically confesses that she doesn’t like sing much these days & making life busy so he can’t face her soul. “Confessions of a Metropolis Spaceship” moves on from there asking where he breath went & after “A Brief Intermission”, she spends a couple minutes during “Sitting with Thoughts” singing about someone who makes her feel alone.

“Earth Creature” gets the 2nd half going with Lindsay pleading for those listening to not lose hope over a Herbie Hancock-influenced beat while “Peculiar Machine (4th Dimension)” sings about discovering something mysteriously radiant. After the “Drifting” instrumental piece, “You Get Blue” has to be one of the weaker moments on the album considering it’s so short that there’s literally no point of it being on here while “Diatoms & Dinoflagellates (5th Dimension)” has a cavernous spoken word flare to it.

After the ambient “Transformation of a Molecule (6th Dimension)” beat, “The Artist (7th Dimension)” rounds out 3rd taking a more rustic approach while “Collision, Gravity, Time” sings about something else in the sky coming closer. “Heads Turn to Paintings” neo-psychedelically realizes the time has come while the final song “Cosmic Dawn (8th Dimension)” preceding the “To Be Continued…” outro majestically finishes singing about knowing your fear how she wants one to do so.

Most people would have Zlaty Sauce Nephew above Zdenka 2080 & understandably so, but I’d make the argument that Salami Rose Joe Louis’ debut for Brainfeeder begins this next phase of her career with the strongest collection of music she’s conceived. Her production’s more neo-psychedelic than earlier output additionally pulling from dream pop, ambient pop, nu jazz, wonky, hypnagogic pop & indietronica to cohesively describe a future dystopian Earth in the year 2080 that’s been mismanaged by unethical governments & corporations.

Score: 4/5

Gawd Status – “Firmamentum” review

Gawd Status is a duo from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of emcee Joker Starr alongside producer King Kashmere. Both of whom have musically been around since with mid-2000s, with Kashmere making his debut in late 2006 by dropping In the Hour of Chaos & Joker Starr putting out Blood-Ren roughly 5 & a half years later. Nonetheless, I was still intrigued to hear they’ve teamed up for a full-length debut together.

“Heavy Metal” opens up with a boom bap intro talking about lighting muhfuckas up with a firing squad & times being difficult whereas “Messiah Hybrid” goes for a jazzier vibe instrumentally talking about their bloodline not being up for questioning. “I’m an African” featuring Big Cakes & Micall Parknsun comes through speaking like kings & walking like lions leading into “Amplified Science” featuring Anyway tha God takes a more conscious approach lyrically.

Fae Simon predominantly appears on “The Alchemist” soulfully singing about wanting to show her partner how she purifies elements of nature while “Admiral Byrd” talks about people hiding behind science to fight God. The penultimate track “Uranium” hops over a beat with increasing intensity to discuss conspiracy theories & the closer “From Nibru with Love” finishes up with a compositional outro blending elements of boom bap & cloud rap.

I might have Strange U’s debut LP4080 above Firmamentum, but it’s still the most entertaining introduction Gawd Status could’ve possibly made. King Kashmere’s production is primarily hip hop-oriented with secondary influences of psychedelia & soul backing Joker Starr’s lyrics covering topics like madness, slavery, the rise of A.I., false Gods, the transmutation of matter & conspiracy theories ranging from flat Earth to aliens.

Score: 4/5

Kuniva – “The Bando Theory” review

1280x1280

Kuniva is a 42 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who started as 1/2 of Da Brigade with dEnAuN. Both of whom would go on to join D12 with Proof, Bizarre, Swifty McVay & of course Eminem. They released 2 platinum studio albums together in the early 2000s but when the group’s leader Proof was murdered in 2006, everyone began focusing on their solo careers. Kuniva released a slew of mixtapes throughout this decade, but made his full-length debut in 2014 with A History of Violence. This was followed up with a sequel tape in 2016 & 3 years later, he’s back on the scene with his sophomore album.

After the intro, we go into the title track. Where Kuniva talks about how real he is over a vicious instrumental. The next song “The Real” pays tribute to those who’ve remained in his circle over a mellow instrumental while the track “Boss Down” is filled with angry battle bars over a nocturnal trap beat from Nick Speed. The song “Shine” talks about maintaining successful over an instrumental with some subdued background vocals & a guitar popping in occasionally while the track “G.T.F.B. (Get The Fuck Back)” with 7 the General sees the 2 vividly describe someone trying to carjack them over an ominous beat.

The song “Weaponized” of course is laced with that gun talk over a killer rock sample while the track “Blue Note Lounge” with Fatt Father sees the 2 reclaiming their prowesses over a luscious instrumental. The song “Waldorf” talks about how fly he is & his competition being talentless over an eerie boom bap beat while the track “Victim” is an awkward auto-tune ballad with a buttery instrumental.

The song “Livin’ My Life” with Rod Dae needs no further explanation over a slick instrumental while the track “I Love Ya” pays tribute to hip hop over a punchy instrumental with some beautiful keys. The penultimate track “Red Hots & Faygo” talks about people who always have a problem with him over the same sample that RZA used for “Let My N****s Live” off of the Wu-Tang Clan’s 3rd album The W back in 2000 & then the album ends with “D.O.N.S. (Day One N****S)”, which of course pays tribute to his close homies over an atmospheric beat.

If y’all are looking for an O.G. in the Detroit hip hop scene getting back on his grind, then please give this a listen because I’ve always looked at Kuniva as an underrated link of the D12 crew. Some of the hooks could’ve been better to me but for the most part: this thing has well incorporated features, great production & Kuniva’s pen game remains deadly.

Score: 3.5/5

RJ Payne – “Square Root of a Kilo” review

RJ Payne is an MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that started off battling under the name Reignman. He recently signed with Black Soprano Family/Griselda Records back in May & promoted it with a decent mixtape entitled Leatherface. 3 months have passed since & he’s continuing his grind with his full-length debut.

After the 7 minute “Cocaine Radio Intro”, we go into the first song “The Payne”. Where RJ gets triumphant over a soulful beat. The track “A New Day” cements his prowess over a vocal sample with some horns while the song “The Smoke” with 38 Spesh sees the 2 flexing their lyrical abilities over a boom bap beat with a sample that gets annoying after a while. The track “Drumline” with Dark Lo sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a boom bap beat with a subdued soul sample while the song “Purge Night” speaks for itself over an eerie Daringer beat.

The track “Cocaine Symphony” truly lives up to its name fantastically from the pen game to DJ Shay’s production while the song “Hitman” sees RJ comparing himself to an assassin over a boom bap beat with some synths in the background. The track “Philly Soul” with O.T the Real describes the ghettos of their hometown over a settle instrumental while the song “My Dreams” explains RJ’s ambitions over a sweet soul sample.

“The GOAT” gets back on the battle bar tip over the exact same Cortex sample that Madvillain used for “1 Beer” while “The Love” preaches for positivity over a pretty piano instrumental. The penultimate track “Never Give In” with eLZhi sees the 2 spitting game over a funky bass-line & then the album ends with “Rebirth of the ROC”, where RJ teams with Da Fever & Sunnie Blac getting vicious over a symphonic beat.

As a debut album from someone with RJ’s longevity, this is pretty promising. Most of the instrumentals & some of the features could’ve been a little bit better personally, but there’s no denying that the dude sounds hungry on here & I really think BSF/Griselda is doing a great job bringing that hunger out.

Score: 3/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “GINGER” review

This is the 5th full-length album from San Marcos, Texas hip hop boyband BROCKHAMPTON. They first came together with an average debut mixtape in 2016 called ALL-AMERICAN TRASH, but it wouldn’t be until the following year that we saw them completely reinventing themselves by dropping the near-perfectly creative SATURATION trilogy. Then there’s the infamous sexual misconduct scandal revolving around the boyband’s most popular lyricist Ameer Vann last May, which resulted in him being kicked out of BROCKHAMPTON. A decision that to this very day is still polarizing by many. However, I think they managed to pull through shortly after with their last full-length album iridescence. Fast forward 11 months later, here we are with GINGER.

The album kicks off with “NO HALO”, where the boys sans de facto leader Kevin Abstract venting about personal issues over an acoustic instrumental from Jabari Manwa. The next song “SUGAR” gets romantic over another acoustic instrumental while the track “BOY BYE” talks about each member’s highs & lows over a quirky beat from Romil Hemnani & Q3. The short “HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU” is a completely random slowthai song while the track “ST. PERCY” finds the boys charismatically bragging over a bassy instrumental & I absolutely love the Missy Elliott/Timbaland vibes during the hook. The track “IF YOU PRAY RIGHT” gets spiritual over a prominent tuba with Dom McLennon starting it off in a charming fashion while the song “DEARLY DEPARTED” addresses Ameer Vann’s dismissal over a cavernously melodic beat.

The track “I BEEN BORN AGAIN” talk about their newfound fame over a minimalist beat while the titular song finds Kevin teaming with Matt Champion & Ciarán to get a bit darker on the topical end over an inebriating beat. The track “BIG BOY” sees Kevin, Ciarán & JOBA recalling their childhood experiences over a dream-like instrumental while the penultimate song “LOVE ME FOR LIFE” finds everyone from then previous joint getting with Merlyn Wood over a lively yet subdued instrumental referencing SpaceX founded by Tesla CEO & Neuralink founder Elon Musk. The album then finishes with “VICTOR ROBERTS”, which is an introduction to a rapper with the same name over a bare piano instrumental.

This is the boys’ weakest album so far, but it’s still solid. Of course each song stands out in it’s own way, but it kinda lacks in catchiness both rapping-wise & instrumentally. Hopefully, they’ll step it up on the next effort.

Score: 3.5/5

Jeezy – “Thug Motivation 104: The Legend of the Snowman” review

Jeezy is a legendary 41 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia known for being one of the Big 3 pioneers of trap music alongside T.I. & Gucci Mane. He dropped 2 mediocre albums at the beginning of the 2000s, but it wouldn’t be until 2005 that he made his 1st big break with Thug Motivation 101: Let’s Get It. An album that completely revolutionized trap, spawned 2 sequels that’re both solid in their own rights & just celebrated it’s 14 year anniversary last month. In light of the latter, Jeezy has saw fit to deliver his 11th & allegedly final full-length album.

It all begins with “the enTRAPreneur”, where Jeezy proclaims himself as just that over an orchestral trap beat from MP808. The next song “Big Shit” charismatically brags over a nocturnal trap beat while the track “Look Like” gets confrontational over a rowdy beat. The song “Better Tell ‘Em” flaunts over a generic beat while the track “Mr. Pyrex” speaks for itself over a nondescript beat.

The song “Already Rich” speaks for itself over an infectious J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League instrumental while the track “1 Time” gets celebratory over an unexpected JAY-Z sample. The song “Oh Yea” with Ball Greezy is completely redundant despite the rhythmic beat while the track “White Keys” talks about the drug game over a piano-inflicted trap beat.

The song “MLK BVLD” with Meek Mill sees the 2 boasting over a haunting Lex Luger beat while the track “‘06” with Rick Ross sees the 2 over a luxurious instrumental. The song “Don’t Make Me” talks about designer material over a somewhat jazzy beat while the track “Fake Love” talks about just that over a smooth beat.

The song “All Night” with Gunna sees the 2 flexing over a wavy beat while the track “4Play” is of course a trite sex anthem. The song “Play It Safe” is a sensual follow-up to the previous cut that actually works a lot better while the penultimate track “Don’t Forget” gets reflective over a somber beat. The album then finishes with “The Real MVP”, where Jeezy pays homage to his mother over a beautiful instrumental.

If this truly is the last time we’ll ever hear Jeezy in a full-length capacity, he went out decently. He sounds focused, but the production is hit or miss with me.

Score: 3/5

Rapsody – “Eve” review

Rapsody is a 36 year old MC from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina that rose to prominence this decade with a handful of mixtapes & EPs. Her 2012 debut album The Idea of Beautiful continued to show her potential, but it wouldn’t be until the Roc Nation Records backed Laila’s Wisdom in 2017 that she would truly refine her style & sound almost perfectly. 2 years have passed & she has teamed up with Def Jam Recordings to deliver her highly anticipated 3rd full-length album.

The album kicks off with “Nina”, where Rapsody gets ambitious over a soulful beat. The next song “Cleo” sends a message to the naysayers over a boom bap beat from 9th Wonder sampling Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” while the track “Aaliyah” ponders about that somebody over an Eric G beat with some beautiful background vocals. The song “Oprah” with Leikeli47 sees the 2 talking about being masters over an instrumental with some rubbery bass while the track “Whoopi” gets cocky over a quirky Khrysis beat.

The song “Serena” talks about not stopping over a restful instrumental while the track “Tyra” talking about how fine she is over a woozy beat. The song “Maya” talks about elevation over a soulful yet flute-heavy instrumental from 9th Wonder while the track “Ibtihaj” with GZA is pretty much a modern version of “Liquid Swords” down to the exact same Willie Mitchell sample.

The song “Myrlie” gets conscious over a glitchy vocal sample & after the “Reyna’s Interlude”, the next joint “Michelle” talks about a lady’s party over a funky beat. The track “Inman” with J.I.D sees the 2 paying tribute to black men over a minimalist yet luscious beat while the song “Hatshepsut” with Queen Latifah sees the 2 talking about being the right women for their fellas over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat. The penultimate track “Sojourner” with J. Cole sounds just as witty as it did on Jamla’s the Squad II last winter & then the album finishes with “Afeni”, where Rapsody is talking to abusive men over a grand instrumental.

All that being said, Rapsody gives us another example as to why she’s the best female lyricist in hip hop right now. The production is sweet to the ear & her intelligent bars never fail to amuse me.

Score: 4/5

Obie Trice – “The 5th” review

Obie Trice is a 41 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan that came up battling at the Hip Hop Shop during the late 90’s. It was there where he was introduced to Eminem, who would make Obie the 2nd act to ever sign to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records in 2000 right after D12. He eventually made his debut in 2003 with Cheers, which is considered an underrated Detroit classic. This was followed up in 2006 with the solid 2nd Round’s on Me, but then Obie decided to leave Shady/Interscope in 2008 due to promotion issues. His first post-Shady release was a long lost album with MoSS the year after he left called Special Reserve, but Obie would go on to form his own label Black Market Entertainment in 2010 & his 2012 independent debut Bottoms Up was almost like he never left. Then came The Hangover in 2015 which was the last release of his to have an alcohol-themed title, but was weighed down with lackluster production. Fast forward to today, Obie is back in effect with his 5th full-length album.

The intro sees Obie pouring his heart out over a decent boom bap beat while the next song “This & That” talks about the things he has to do to get where he is now over beautiful piano instrumental. The track “Heartless” passionately vents over a soulful beat while the song “No” is a generic club banger. The track “Truth to Power” talks about the current state of hip hop over a beat with some ominous keyboards while the song “Ass” is a strip club anthem with a synth-heavy trap beat.

The track “Rollin’” flexes over a hellish beat while the song “Take It There” brags over a luscious beat. The track “Letter” talks about Obie’s younger self over an uplifting beat while the song “Space” with Xzibit sees the 2 talking about life in the hood over a spacious boom bap instrumental.

The track “92” reflects on that titular year over an instrumental inspired by Dr. Dre’s production work in the early 2000s while the song “185+Deuce” with Spice 1 & Swift McVay sees the 3 spitting gritty street bars over a keyboard heavy trap beat. The penultimate track “Hate” talk about those knockin’ on him over a lavish instrumental & then the album ends with “Smr”, where Obie talks about rappers who’re on the internet a lot & where he comes from over some Neptunes inspired keys.

This is a pretty decent comeback from one of Detroit’s most underrated MCs. The production has slightly stepped up in comparison to the last album & Obie’s pen game remains sharp.

Score: 3/5

Bill Shakes – “Eh?” review

This is the full-length studio debut from Blackburn, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom emcee Bill Shakes. Formerly a member of the Children of the Damned collective & currently apart of it’s successor the Cult of the Damned, he would eventually sign to the London imprint Blah Records & have Reklews produce his 2011 solo debut EP For Goodness Shakes. However when I learned that Lee Scott would be handling all of Eh?’s beats by himself, I knew this return for Bill would be special.

The entrancing boom bap instrumental on “Chips ‘n’ Gravy” was a great way to grab listeners’ attention for an intro talking about taking everything he wants for free whereas “Smartprice” featuring King Grubb finds the 2 ruggedly speaking of being the kings of the most high regardless of the altitude. “Tugay Kerimoğlu” shouts out the retired Turkish soccer player of the same name alongside Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne leading into “Once Upon a Time in Blackburn” telling a story taking place in his hometown.

“Yeah Yeah” ends the 1st half of the LP showing a more aggressive side to Bill from the raw beat to the aggressively confrontational lyricism while “Uvavu Kart 64” featuring King Grubb reunites the 2 so they can assure everything will be ok, but it wouldn’t be alright. “The Legend of B-Town” recalls a hot summer day in 2002 where he was hanging out with friends blending elements of funk & boom bap while “11:30” dustily talks about an assailant running from law enforcement after failing to apprehend him.

Jam Baxter appears on “Lost S07E01” making their own continuation of The Walt Disney Company-owned ABC hit sci-fi adventure drama series that ended back when I was in 7th grade while “Funkpellybrick” featuring Sly Moon hooks up a downtrodden piano sample keeping their mind on others’ money. “U What M8” wraps up Eh?experimenting with hip house & probably has the most repetitive songwriting out of another other track I mentioned previously.

Catching onto Bill Shakes through guest appearances on projects like Leaf Dog’s sophomore effort Dyslexic Disciple or Eric the Red’s debut Caught Red Handed, he makes his comeback nearly a decade later with the most personal material he’s ever conceived. The production’s significantly darker than For Goodness Shakes’ was during my final year of middle school & lyrically, Bill uses this opportunity to thematically gives flowers to the Lancashire town that made him the man we hear in front of us today.

Score: 4/5

Little Brother – “May the Lord Watch” review

Little Brother is a reasonably beloved Durham, North Carolina group consisting of MCs Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh. They originally started out as a trio with producer 9th Wonder, their first 2 albums together The Listening & The Minstrel Show being hailed as some of the best albums of the previous decade. 9th then decided to focus on a solo career in 2007 & Little Brother dropped their 1st album as a duo Getback later that year. Then in 2010, they released their previous full-length album Leftback & officially disbanded shortly after. Almost a decade later, Phonte & Pooh have reformed LB to deliver a comeback album.

The album begins with “The Feel”, where Phonte & Pooh look back at their careers up until this point over a synth-funk instrumental from Khrysis with some luxurious piano chords. After the “A Word from the President” skit, the next song “Everything” finds the duo thinking about just that over a boom bap beat with some twinkling keys. The track “Right on Time” reflects on their rough past over a J Dilla influenced instrumental from Nottz while the song “Black Magic (Make It Better)” talks about hustling over a Focus… instrumental with some harmonious vocals.

After the “Life After Blackface” skit, the song “Goodmorning Sunshine” pays tribute to their significant others over a mellow boom bap instrumental. After the “Dyana Change My Life” skit, the song “What I Came For” talks about getting some over a cloudy boom bap beat. Then after the “Inside the Producer’s Studio” skit, the song “Sittin’ Alone” talks about being chilling at home by yourself over a blissful boom bap beat.

The song “Picture This” talks about gratefulness over a dulcet instrumental from Black Milk. After the “N****s Hollering” skit, the penultimate track “All in a Day” talks about their grind in hip hop referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a grand instrumental. The album then finishes with “Work Through Me”, where Phonte & Pooh going back & forth with each other over a funky boom bap beat.

Never thought this day would come, but I’m glad it did. Sure it’s only 37 & a half minutes long, but it’s like they never left. On top of Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh sounding very refreshed, Khrysis really comes through with the instrumental palate on here. My only complaint about the album is some of the skits but other than that, this is a fantastic comeback from one of the greatest groups hip hop has ever seen.

Score: 4/5