Roc Marciano – “Kvos” review

Roc Marciano & DJ Muggs are 2 criminally underrated legends in the hip hop world. Both of whom been having a big 2018, with Roc putting out Rosebudd’s Revenge 2: The Bitter Dose in February & Behold a Dark Horse just last month while Muggs just put out a new Soul Assassins album Dia del Asesinato & the new Cypress Hill album Elephants on Acid within the past 2 months. But now, they’re uniting to put out Roc’s 7th full-length album.

After a 2 minute instrumental intro that sounds like it could be playing at the start of a blaxploitation film, the first song “Dolph Lundgren” sees Roc talking about him & an unnamed current rapper being from different eras over a minimalist instrumental with some acoustic guitar strumming. The next track “White Dirt” boasts about what he has over a grimy rap rock beat while “The E Train” is about being one of the illest over a laidback instrumental.

“Aunt Bonnie” vividly talks about murder over an apocalyptic instrumental while the song “Rolls Royce Rugs” of course returns to the bragging tip over a classy instrumental. The track “Caught a Lick” has a pretty murky vibe to it & Roc’s delivery on here is probably the catchiest on the entire album, but it’s way too short.

The song “Wild Oats” gets mafioso over a haunting instrumental while the track “Shit I’m On” gets on some “king shit” over a piano. The song “Wormhole” talks about his main chick over a hypnotic beat & the outro spurs battle bars over an instrumental with a killer guitar & occasionally some orchestral elements.

To be honest, this is one of the best albums Roc has ever done. Despite it’s 36 minute runtime, his gritty lyricism & DJ Muggs’ signature production style mesh with each other near perfectly. I can also appreciate Roc for not getting any features on here as well.

Score: 4.5/5

City Morgue – “Hell or High Water” review

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City Morgue is a New York hip hop trio consisting of producer Thraxx alongside MCs ZillaKami & SosMula. They dropped an EP back in August & while I thought Zilla’s feature on the latest Denzel Curry album TA13OO was just ok, the trio’s full-length debut over here eventually got the best of me & I decided to give it a shot.

The album begins with “Caligula”, which is a mosh pit anthem with an abrasive trap beat. The next song “Arson” pretty much speaks for itself over a metal/trap fusion while the track “KenPark” sees SosMula & Black Kray spitting gun bars over a sinister heavy guitar lead with some hi-hats. The song “Gravehop187” is the duo reuniting albeit with Black Kray once again to get murderous over a chaotic instrumental while the track “Lamborghini Getaway” talks about 2 drug dealers doing their thing & escaping from the cops over a sinister trap beat from Ronny J.

The song “Nuka Cola” is filled with battle bars over a monstrous Powers Pleasant instrumental while the track “PTSD” gets back on the murder tip over a trap beat with a Halloween-esque guitar in the background. The song “So What” talks about how they don’t give a fuck over another intriguing fusion of metal & trap while the track “Snow on tha Bluff” is a tune inspired by the independent film with the same name with a druggy Ronny J instrumental.

The song “Downer” is all about how asshole-ish the trio are over a nu metal instrumental with some skittering snares while the track “Aw Shit” is a club banger with a cloudy trap instrumental. The song “SHINNERS13” talks about how they’ll ride for each other over a rap metal instrumental while the penultimate track “33rd Blakk Glass” is all about being unbreakable over an electronic/trap fusion. The album then closes with “SK8 HEAD”, which is a tribute to their skate team over a trap beat with some haunting synthesizers.

I really didn’t know what to expect going in, but this is truly one of the wildest trap records I’ve heard all year. It’s a little short & the 2 Black Krey features are meh but the youthful, angry chemistry between ZillaKami & SosMula is adrenaline inducing. And on top of that: the production suits this aggressiveness near perfectly. Especially with the trap/metal fusions, which I don’t recall ever hearing being done prior to this & I think it really does it’s part in helping them stand out in this modern day trap scene.

Score: 4/5

Quavo – “QUAVO HUNCHO” review

Quavo is a 27 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Atlanta, Georgia who rose to prominence in 2013 as 1/3 of the Migos with his nephew Takeoff & his cousin Offset. He also formed the duo Huncho Jack in late 2016 with one of the most creative minds in hip hop today: Travis Scott, dropping their debut album Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho at the very end of last year. He then got back with Takeoff & Offset at the beginning of THIS year to drop the Migos’ 3rd full length album C U L T U R E II, which is easily one of the most disappointing hip hop albums of 2018. However, they aren’t stopping there as Quavo is now the very 1st member of the trio to put out a full-length solo effort.

The album kicks off triumphantly with “BIGGEST ALLEY OOP”, where Quavo talks about his place in hip hop over a 30 Roc instrumental with a chilling flute & some female background vocals. The next track “PASS OUT” with 21 Savage sees the 2 getting boastful over a druggy instrumental, but the post-chorus where Quavo repeats his “skrr” ad-lib constantly is very tedious. The song “HUNCHO DREAMS” is a pretty solid response to “Barbie Dreams” off of Nicki Minaj’s latest album Queen backed with an atmospheric Murda Beatz instrumental while the track “FLIP THE SWITCH” with Drake sees the 2 talking about a bad bitch over a vibrant trap beat from Wheezy. The song “GIVE IT TO ‘EM” gets cold blooded over an eerie piano lead while the track “SHINE” is a club anthem with a spacey Tay Keith instrumental.

The song “WORKIN’ ME” talks about his relationship with his girlfriend Saweetie over an airy instrumental from Murda Beatz while the track “HOW ‘BOUT THAT?” talks about how the Migos are running the trap scene over a nondescript OG Parker instrumental. The song “CHAMPAGNE ROSÉ” with Cardi B is an alcohol anthem over a relaxing woodwind instrumental from Murda Beatz & the Madonna hook was a nice surprise as well. The track “KEEP THAT SHIT” by Unc & Phew is about how they’re rich & your broke over a murky Dun Deal instrumental while the song “FUCK 12” with Offset disses corrupt cops over a gloomy instrumental.

The track “LOSE IT” with Lil Baby is a mediocre tune about how hot this woman is & the song “RERUN” is an obvious & unfortunately structureless Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho leftover with a beautifully spacious WondaGurl instrumental. The track “GO ALL THE WAY” is very repetitive lyrically, but the electronic instrumental that Pharrell brings to the table kinda reminds me of some of the better cuts that he & his Neptunes cohort Chad Hugo produced together on Common’s Universal Mind Control a decade prior. The song “LAMB TALK” is of course Quavo bragging about his lifestyle over an airy beat while the track “BIG BRO” is a more mature cut as he talks about taking this person under his wing over a cloudy beat. However, that one line at the very beginning about Lil Peep was in horribly bad taste. The song “SWING” is an awkward attempt at going dancehall while the penultimate track “BUBBLE GUM” talks about how this chick has it over a generic instrumental. The album ends with “LOST”, where Quavo & KiD CuDi talk about rising above over a settle beat.

I’ve been waiting on a Quavo solo album & overall, it’s pretty solid. There are a small handful of boring & run of the mill joints but outside of that, the production is more consistent than C U L T U R E II‘s & Quavo himself sounds a lot more focused than he did on that album with his charisma shining brighter even on his own.

Score: 3.5/5

T.I. – “DIME TRAP” review

T.I. is a 38 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who started out as the founding member of P$C in 1997. He then went solo in 2001 with his debut album I’m Serious, but it didn’t do well commercially & he was dropped from Arista Records as a result. He then formed his own label Grand Hustle Records & dropped his sophomore album Trap Muzik in 2003, which had a huge hand in popularizing the titular hip hop subgenre. He then continued the success of that album with Urban Legend & King, but then his next album T.I. vs. T.I.P. would be a disappointing longwinded mixed bag with a pretty great concept. He redeemed himself with Paper Trail in 2008, but dropped another mixed bag with No Mercy in 2010. Both of which came out during back to back prison sentences. He then returned to the scene at the end of 2012 with the flawed yet solid Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head in 2012 as well as the Pharrell executive produced Paperwork in 2014. He then took a more political tone at 2016 with his double EP Us or Else: Letter to the System but now, he’s returning with his highly anticipated 10th full-length album.

Things kick off with “Seasons”, where TIP talks about his desire to succeed over an organ. The next track “Laugh at ‘Em” is a middle finger to his haters over a triumphant Just Blaze beat while the song “Big Ol’ Drip” vividly talks about the drug dealing lifestyle over a trap beat with some nice horns in the mix. The track “Wraith” with Yo Gotti sees the 2 getting braggadocious over a gloomy Scott Storch instrumental while the song “The Weekend” with Young Thug talks about partying over a boom bappy Swizz Beatz instrumental with a prominently twangy guitar.

The track “The Amazing Mr. Fuck Up” endearingly addresses his current relationship with his wife Tiny over a laidback boom bap beat with Victoria Monet providing some background vocals while the song “At Least I Know” continues the theme of the previous joint with a moody beat. The track “What Can I Say?” reflects on how he got to where he is today over a druggy trap beat while the song “Jefe” with Meek Mill sees the 2 charismatically calling themselves bosses over a Latin-infused trap beat from Bangladesh. The track “More & More” with Jeezy sees the 2 talking about making money over a gritty trap beat with an organ while the song “Pray for Me” does talk about backstabbers, the YFN Lucci verse at the start is probably the weakest feature on the entire album.

The track “Looking Back” sees TIP getting retrospective on his life over a somber David Banner instrumental while the song “Light Day” is a message to those who wanna live the life that T.I. lived in the past with what could very well be the best flow on the entire album. The penultimate track “You” talks about judgmental people over an instrumental with a somber atmosphere to it & the closer “Be There” is all about being by someone’s side when feeling down over an eerie instrumental with a guitar that kicks in later.

For the 4 year wait, this was well worth it. The production’s on point, Dave Chappelle’s narrations are intelligent & T.I. gets a lot off his chest lyrically. If you wanna hear a trap legend sounding more mature than ever, then give this a listen.

Score: 4/5

Atmosphere – “Mi Vida Local”

Atmosphere is an renown independent hip hop duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota consisting of producer Ant & MC Slug. They’ve released a handful of classics through their label Rhymesayers Entertainment including Lucy Ford, You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having, Sad Clown Bad Dub 9 & my personal favorite: God Loves Ugly. Last time we heard from them was with with Fishing Blues in summer of 2016 but now, they’re finally returning with their 9th full-length album.

Things start off with “Jerome”, where Slug introspectively talks about being underground & depression over an organ & a guitar. The next track “Stopwatch” talks about is an empowering rap rock anthem while the song “Virgo” talks about the current political over an acoustic instrumental. The track “Delicate” goes in the mind of a young Atmosphere fan over a smooth instrumental while the song “Drown” with Cashinova, deM atlaS & The Lioness talks about depression once again a somber boom bap beat.

The track “Anymore” talks about deceiving people over a gloomy guitar while the song “Earring” with Musab sees the 2 talking about cheating women over an alluring soul sample. The track “Trim” is a laidback love tune with synth heavy instrumental while the song “Specificity” does have an angry tone to it, I wish it was a little longer. The track “Mijo” vividly describes his love for his children over a spacey instrumental while “Randy Mosh” is an AMAZING Dynospectrum reunion. The album then finishes with “Graffiti”, which is a positivity anthem with an empowering instrumental.

Honestly, this might be Atmosphere’s best album of the decade & one of their best albums period. Primarily because both lyrically & sonically, Slug & Ant pretty much show us how much they’ve matured over the years.

Score: 4/5

Sheck Wes – “MUDBOY” review

Sheck Wes is a 20 year old rapper from Harlem, New York who started out in 2009 as a member of the MillYorkers at the age of 11. He eventually signed a joint deal with Travis Scott’s Interscope Records imprint Cactus Jack Records & Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music at the beginning of the year but now with him being on the verge to head out with Travis on the upcoming ASTROWORLD tour next month, he’s decided to drop his full-length debut.

The album begins with “Mindfucker”, where Sheck sends a message to his haters over some prominent hi-hats. The next song “Live Sheck Wes” talks about roaches in the crib over an eerie trap beat while the track “Gmail” brags about his skill level over a futuristic trap beat . The song “Wanted” gets confrontational over an instrumental with a sinister atmosphere to it while the track “Chippi Chippi” talks about his new lifestyle over a spacey beat.

The song “Never Lost” reflects on his rough past over a moody WondaGurl instrumental while the track “WESPN” laughs off at how his doubters became his believers over a spacey beat. The song Kyrie” sees Sheck comparing himself to the Boston Celtics player Kyrie Irving over a beat with some chilling bells & while it is cool, the track “Mo Bamba” takes it to a whole new level as Sheck talks about all these labels contacting him & intelligently comparing it to how his childhood friend & Orlando Magic player Mohamed Bamba was being targeted by universities when they were in highly school over a grimy trap beat with some keyboards.

The “Burn Slow” interlude is way much less of an interlude & more of an atmospheric brag while the track “Jiggy On the Shits” recalls roaming the streets at the age of 10 over another spacey beat. The song “Fuck Everyone” angrily talks about his arrival to the hip hop scene over a looped sample of a MacBook Pro start up sound & while the penultimate track “Danimals” does vent about an ex, the hook is awkward & the beat is generic as Hell. The album does end on a high note though with “Vetements Socks”, where Sheck gets introspective over a meditative yet blissful beat.

As a whole, this was a pretty solid debut. Some of the beats could’ve been better & I do appreciate Sheck Wes for holding it all on his own, but I wish we got at least just 1 Travis Scott verse on here. All that aside, this is a great beginning for the rising NY star. BITCH!

Score: 3.5/5

Ghostface Killah – “The Lost Tapes” review

Ghostface Killah is a 48 year old MC known for being a member of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan. He’s easily the most consistent member of the group with albums like Ironman, Supreme Clientele, FishScale, Apollo Kids & 12 Reasons to Die just to name a few. Last time we heard from him was in 2015 when he dropped Soul Soul & 12 Reasons to Die 2 but now, he’s finally returning with his 14th full-length album & he has enlisted Big Ghost Ltd. to produce it in it’s entirety.

After an intro from Michael Rapaport, we go into the first song “Buckingham Palace”. Ghostface on here links up with Benny the Butcher, KXNG CROOKED & 38 Spesh to tell you to watch how you talk to his goons get over a soulful beat with some triumphant horns. The track “Majestic Accolades” with Hus Kingpin & Planet Asia sees the 3 bragging about their skills over an instrumental kin to the Wu-Elements while the song “Cold Crush” with Chris Rivers, La the Darkman & Ras Kass is filled with battle bars an eerie beat with a prominent grimy guitar-passage.

After the “Put the Ghostface on It” interlude, we go into the song “Saigon Velour”. Where Ghostface gets with E-40 & Snoop Dogg to talk about the code of the street over a soulful beat. The track “Constant Struggle” with Bishop Lamont & Killah Priest sees the 3 vividly describing life in the hood over a soul sample with thunderous drums while the song “Done It Again” with Big Daddy Kane, Cappadonna & Styliztik Jones gets romantic over a piano & some horns.

After the “Reflections or C.R.E.A.M.” interlude, the penultimate song “Watch ‘Em Holla” with Raekwon, Cappadonna & Masta Killa feels like a classically gritty Wu banger with some horns. And before things end with a Michael Rapaport outro, the final song “I Think I Saw a Ghost with Sheek Louch & Vic Spencer is a rap rock anthem that’ll make you wanna flip your table over.

While it is short & I wish there were a couple tracks where Ghostface is rapping by himself, this is another solid effort. Big Ghost Ltd.’s vintage production style perfectly suits Ghostface’s lyricism & the guest verses are great, too.

Score: 4/5

Lil Wayne – “Tha Carter V” review

Lil Wayne is a LEGENDARY rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana who was signed to Cash Money Records at the very age of 9. He then got started as 1/2 of The B.G.’z, 1/4 of the Hot Boy$ & 1/6 of the Cash Money Millionaires. His first 3 solo albums Tha Block is Hot, Lights Out & 500 Degreez were average at best but we then found him improving in the mid 2000’s with Tha Carter, Tha Cater II, Dedication, Dedication 2, Da Drought 3 & my personal favorite Tha Carter III. He then started his own label Young Money Entertainment & followed his magnum opus up with a God awful “rock” album Rebirth along with the mediocre I Am Not a Human Being. He was able to bounce back in 2011 with Tha Carter IV, but things looked rough once again with the horrendous I Am Not a Human Being II in 2013 & the legal issues that’s been tangled in with Cash Money for the past 4 years. But now that he’s free from Birdman, he’s finally delivering his long-awaited 12th full-length album to celebrate being the sole owner of Young Money.

After the 2 minute spoken word intro, we go into the first song “Don’t Cry”. Here, Weezy talks about the afterlife over an atmospheric beat & the posthumous XXXTENTACION vocals on the hook don’t sound that bad at all. The track “Dedicate” is about his influence on today’s hip hop landscape over a trap beat with some plinky keys, the sampling of the 2 Chainz song with the same name as the hook was pretty cool as was the reference to The Walt Disney Company-owned Marvel.

The song “Uproar” is filled with clever battle bars & while I kinda feel like Swizz Beatz’ heavily sampling of the classic G. Dep song “Special Delivery” was too much, it does do it’s job. The track “Let It Fly” with Travis Scott is a modern day club banger with a moody beat with both parties complimenting each other very well while the song “Can’t Be Broken” is a middle finger to his haters over a piano & a BEAUTIFUL vocal sample.

“Dark Side of the Moon” is a romance anthem over a moody beat that works pretty well & I actually find Nicki Minaj’s singing throughout the 2nd half to be pretty empowering. The song “Mona Lisa” is about unfaithful women over an atmospheric beat & the Kendrick Lamar verse really makes it hard to decide who outrapped who. Especially with lines like “They started French kissing so he didn’t see moi” as well as that one about waking up to The Great Gatsby & then dogging it like Lassie.

The track “What About Me” is a dedication to his ride or die chick over a decent moody trap beat & even the Sosamann verse doesn’t really do much for me personally. The perfectly-titled “Open Letter” is Wayne venting to the listener over a spacey beat with punchy drums while the song “Famous” is a piano ballad reflecting on the Lil Wayne’s feelings of fame & the hook from his daughter Reginae Carter worked out much better than I had anticipated.

“Problems” talks about the issues he’s having with this woman over a bass-heavy Zaytoven instrumental while the song “Dope Niggaz” talks about growing up in the streets over a banger beat that constantly from that I to a killer sample of the classic Dr. Dre track “Xxplosive”. WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s hook is charismatic too, but I really wish he had verse. The track “Hittas” talks about having shooters over a chilling vocal sample & the song “Took His Time” picks up where the previous joint left off albeit in a more introspective fashion over a trap beat with some piano chords & harmonious background vocals.

“Open Safe” sees Weezy flexing & it’s not bad, but the DJ Mustard instrumental sounds like any other instrumental that you’d hear from the guy. The song “Start This Shit Off Right” sounds like a vintage Early 2000’s club banger down to the Mannie Fresh instrumental & the Ashanti hook while the track “Demon” vents about all the demons in his life over a soulful trap beat from Cool & Dre. The track “Mess” is pretty much A Day in the Life of Lil Wayne over an spacey acoustic trap instrumental that’s very pretty while the song “Dope New Gospel” sees talking to himself in a mirror over a celebratory trap beat & the hook from Wayne’s ex-fiancé Nivea is beautiful.

The track “Perfect Strangers” is about switching women over an a trap beat from Mannie Fresh with somber piano chords while the song “Used 2” talks about his evolution over a spacey beat from non other than Metro Boomin’. The album ends beautifully with “Let It All Work Out”, which has a prominent Sampha sample throughout. Also, the final verse where Wayne recalls a suicide attempt at age 12 is damn-near heart-wrenching.

It’s been a long time coming but at the end, this was a strong return to form for Lil Wayne. I was a bit worried given that we’ve had many disappointing 20+ track albums this year, but the production is his best in years & Wayne himself has A LOT to say throughout it’s 87 minute runtime. It’s very remarkable & refreshing to hear him at his strongest in years after he went through so much. Welcome back, Weezy!

Score: 4/5

Reason – “There You Have It” review

Reason is a rapper from Carson, California who I first caught wind of on the Black Panther soundtrack. He just signed to Top Dawg Entertainment last month & now, he’s releasing his full-length debut.

After the “Rufus Collection” skit, we go into the title track. Here, Reason talks about coming from the streets over a moody soulful instrumental. The track “Kurupt” talks about seizing the moment over an uplifting beat with punchy drums while the song “Fuck wit Me” gets braggadocious over a gloomy beat. The track “Bottom” talks about coming from nothing, but the Xian Bell feature is obnoxious. The song “Drive Slow / Taste Like Heaven” talks about the advice from his grandfather over a boom bap beat, but then it transitions into a something more jazzier.

The track “Thirst” is a club banger with some quirky synths while the song “Colored Dreams: Killers, Pt. 2” recalls a murder case he caught over a boom bap beat with some beautiful piano chords. The track “Better Dayz” is a solid cut taken from his 2016 mixtape The Free Album while the song “Situations” talks about a failing relationship over a moody beat. The penultimate track “State We In” talks about his newfound fame & the closer “Summer Up” returns to the braggadocious tip over a bass-heavy beat.

Overall, this was a solid debut. The production is much better than Jay Rock’s latest album Redemption & Reason sounds very passionate whenever he’s on the mic. If you wanna hear one of the hottest labels right now showcasing an up-&-coming star, give this a listen.

Score: 3.5/5

Cypress Hill – “Elephants on Acid” review

Cypress Hill is a legendary West Coast hip hop group consisting of MCs B-Real & Sen Dog alongside producer DJ Muggs & percussionist Eric Bobo. Their first 3 albums are widely considered to hip hop classics, but their material since then has been considered average. However, they are returning with their 9th full-length album after an 8 year hiatus.

After the Tusko intro, we go into the first song “Band of Gypsies”. Here, B-Real & Sen are spirting battle bars over a psychedelic beat. The track “Put ‘Em in the Ground” gets murderous over an eerie vocal sample & after the “Satao” interlude, we go into the song “Jesus Was a Stoner”. Here, B-Real makes many references to weed & religion over an instrumental with a haunting atmosphere.

The song “Pass the Knife” returns to the murder bars over an eerie beat & after the “LSD” interlude, we go into the song “Oh Na Na”. Here, B-Real of course talks about getting high over some infectious horns. After the “Holy Mountain” interlude, we go into the song “Locos”. Here, B-Real & Sen deliver street bars over a gritty beat.

The track “Falling Down” confrontationally talks about life over a distorted bass line & after the “Elephant Acid” interlude, the song “Insane OG” pretty much speaks for itself over a apocalyptic beat. However, I wish it was longer than just 84 seconds. “The 5th Angel” is an instrumental interlude that sounds like it could be playing in a trailer for an upcoming horror movie while the track “Warlord” talks about judgement day over a fitting boom bap beat.

The song “Reefer Man” is a sequel to “Dr. Greenthumb” with a tuba-inflicted boom bap beat & after the “Thru the Rabbit Hole” interlude, we go into the song “Crazy”. Here, B-Real & Sen talk about insanity over a trippy beat. The track “Muggs is Dead” is a psychedelic instrumental interlude while the penultimate track “Blood on My Hands” sees B-Real comparing himself to the Grim Reaper over an ominous beat. The closer “Stairway to Heaven” sees B-Real talking about his prediction of the afterlife over a prominent woodwind sample.

From front to back, this was a strong return to form for Cypress. Sure there are WAY too many interludes, but DJ Muggs’ production is just as gritty as the old days & it’s a bit more experimental too. The lyricism is sharper as well. If you wanna hear a fantastic comeback album from one of the greatest West Coast groups ever, PLEASE give this a listen.

Score: 4/5