Nicki Minaj – “Queen” review

In the light of Cardi B’s increasing popularity within the past year, New York rapper/singer & Young Money Entertainment’s First Lady Nicki Minaj is making a comeback with her 4th full-length album & her first since The Pinkprint at the tail end of 2014.

The album begins with “Ganja Burns”, where Nicki challenges her competition over an Afro-influenced beat that’s actually pretty cool. The track “Majesty” with Eminem sees the 2 getting playful over a prominently plinky piano & the song “Barbie Dreams” is Nicki’s rendition of the classic Biggie song “Just Saying (Dreams)”, but it doesn’t go over at all even with the reference to WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson. The track “Rich Sex” is pretty much a mediocre sequel to a Future song on his 2015 magnum opus DS2 that actually shares the same name, except that Nicki brought in a pretty solid Lil Wayne verse to give the audience both gender’s takes of the titular topic. The song “Hard White” talks about how she worked hard to get half back over an eerie Boi-1da & !llmind instrumental while the track “Bed” gets seductive over a moody beat & the Ariana Grande hook is pretty as well.

The song “Thought I Knew You” is more of a Weeknd joint since Abel takes up a good chunk of it while the track “Run & Hide” sees Nicki singing about trust over an moody instrumental. The song “Chun Swae” with Swae Lee sees the 2 getting braggadocious over a bass-heavy Metro Boomin’ instrumental while The track “Chun-Li” is arguably her best single in a long time. It sees her going back to her hardcore hip hop roots from the gritty beat to her confrontational bars. The song “LLC” is a supposed diss towards Cardi B over a bouncy trap instrumental while the track “Good Form” is about how bad she is over a Mike WiLL-Made It instrumental with a pretty cool Too $hort sample.

The song “Nip Tuck” talks about giving this person everything over a spacey beat & the “2 Lit 2 Late” interlude is prettily produced, but the auto-tune does nothing & I wish it was a full song. The track “Come See About Me” addresses his ex-boyfriend Meek Mill over a piano-heavy instrumental while the song “Sir” with Future is another braggadocious tune with a gritty instrumental from Metro Boomin’ & Zaytoven.

“Miami” talks about her prowess over a bouncy Murda Beatz instrumental while the final song “Coco Chanel” is a mediocre attempt at reviving the watered down dancehall that Drake provided on VIEWS & More Life. However, I do enjoy the Foxy Brown verse quite a bit. The “Inspirations Outro” is just Nicki shouting out her Caribbean influences for a minute & while it is interesting, it’s not the strongest of notes to end on.

Overall, this was a pretty average album. I truly believe some of Nicki’s best songs are on here & it does sound like she took quite a bit of time working on this, but it’s chocked with a lot of filler.

Score: 2.5/5

Soul Assassins – “Dia del Asesinato” review

The Soul Assassins are a legendary collective founded by one of the most underrated producers in hip hop history: DJ Muggs. They dropped their iconic debut album Chapter I in 1997 & they followed it up in 2000 with the equally solid II. However, they collectively haven’t dropped that much material since then with this being their 4th full-length album & their first since Intermission in 2009.

After the “Santa Muerte” intro, the first song “Day of the Dead by Kool G Rap sees the Genius of Rap getting murderous over a perfectly suiting instrumental. The next track “Assassination Day” by G Rap & MF DOOM sees the 2 lyrical titans getting confrontational over a haunting instrumental while the track “Yacht Party” by Raekwon of course vividly gets mafioso over a luxurious instrumental. The song “Black Snow Beach” by Rae & Meyhem Lauren brags about how better they are than you over some strings while the next 2 songs are solely performed by Mach-Hommy. The first one “Blue Horseshoes” has a decent instrumental, but Mach sounds like he phoned it in.

The other one “Contagion Theory” has a somewhat jazzy instrumental that’s actually beautiful, but it doesn’t sound fully written to me. Things pick up on “Wally Face”, where Hus Kingpin provides some vivid storytelling over a settle beat with an alluring vocal sample for the hook. The song “Duck Sauce” by Eto talks about how this ain’t a game over a boom bap beat with an electric guitar while the track “Niggas is Pussy” by Meyhem Lauren speaks for itself over a heavy guitar. And before things finish with the outro, the final song “Death Wish” by Freddie Gibbs & DOOM displays the 2 spitting battle bars over an eerie beat.

I’ve been wondering when or if the Soul Assassins were ever gonna drop an album again & they came back pretty triumphantly. The performers are outstanding for the most part as is DJ Muggs’ production & the concept about using hip hop against corruption is very well thought out

Score: 4/5

Trippie Redd – “Life’s a Trip” review

Trippie Redd is a 19 year old rapper from Canton, Ohio who blew up last year with the release of his debut mixtape A Love Letter to You. He then followed it up with a mediocre sequel several months later & now that a year has passed, we’re finally getting his full-length debut.

The album begins with “TOGETHER”, where he talks about unity over an acoustic instrumental. The next song “Taking a Walk” sees Trippie contemplating suicide over an organ-heavy Scott Storch instrumental while the track “Wish” originally appeared on Diplo’s latest EP California & it was one of my favorites off it, I don’t see why it was put on this album as well. The song “Missing My Idols” continues to prove how lyrical Trippie can be as he provides a sequel to “Can You Rap Like Me?” albeit with a trap beat & the sample that OZ uses is absolutely beautiful.

The track “Forever Ever” with Young Thug & Reese LaFlare sees the 3 getting romantical over a moody Murda Beatz instrumental. It’s endearing, but the feature from the latter is the weakest on the entire album. The song “Bird Shit” brushes off his haters over a Wheezy instrumental with a twangy guitar & rattling hi-hats while the track “BANG!” gets vulnerable over a mellow trap beat. The song “How You Feel” talks about his girlfriend ALYK$ over a psychedelic rock instrumental while the track “Dark Knight Dummo” with Travi$ Scott sees the 2 getting braggadocious over a gritty Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental.

The song “Uka Uka” talks about how he doesn’t want pressure over a druggy instrumental while the track “Shake It Up” gets raunchy over a moody trap beat. The song “Oomp’s Revenge” is a heartwarming tribute to Trippie’s brother over a soulful instrumental while the penultimate track “GORE” talks about his success over a cloudy trap beat. The album then finishes with “Underwater Flyzone”, where he sings about an ex over a laidback guitar.

I was a little worried about this given the fact that Trippie initially stated that this was gonna be 26 tracks long, but I was pleasantly surprised with how it actually turned out. The production is a lot more refined than it’s been in the past & I feel like Trippie is at his most passionate on here

Score: 3.5/5

Mac Miller – “Swimming” review

In the 2 years since his disappointingly average Divine Feminine, Pittsburgh MC/producer Mac Miller has been laying low since then. However, he’s finally back with his 5th full-length album.

The opener “Come Back to Earth” vents about his mental struggles over a luscious synthesizer & the next song “Hurt Feelings” vents about how things in his life are different over a mellow yet bass-heavy instrumental. The track “What’s the Use?” vents about his addiction flying in a shuttle given to him by Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder & Neuralink founder Elon Musk over a beautiful synth-funk instrumental while the song “Perfecto” talks about depression over a laidback instrumental. The track “Self Care” addresses his breakup with Ariana Grande over a cloudy instrumental while the song “Wings” gets introspective over a settle instrumental. The track “Ladders” is about how he & this unnamed woman are all they have & the synth-funk instrumental on here is absolutely flawless.

The song “Small Worlds” talks about his imperfections over a slow-twangy guitar & the 4-start count at the beginning made me think this was a Neptunes beat at first. The track “Conversation” is an open message to Ariana over a druggy Cardo beat while the song “Dunno” reflects on the good times in his previous relationship over some finger snapping & some Neptunes-like synthesizers while the song “Jet Fuel” is about staying high & existing forever over some groovy guitar work. The penultimate track “2009” is about finding peace over an Eric G instrumental with snapping fingers & keyboards while the closer “So It Goes” ends things perfectly as he gets motivational over some prominent drums & faint synths.

I was hoping for Mac to make a triumphant comeback & at the end of the day, that’s exactly what I got. Sure the execution on a few tracks could’ve been better, but the production is absolutely beautiful & the personal themes are very compelling.

Score: 3.5/5

Travis Scott – “AstroWorld” review

Almost 2 years after his underappreciated sophomore album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight & with the solid debut album from Huncho Jack at the tail-end of last year, Houston trap mastermind Travis Scott is finally delivering his long-awaited 3rd full-length album.

Things start off with “STARGAZING”, where Travis recalls a drug trip over a Sonny Digital instrumental that starts off atmospheric, but then switches into an eerie trap instrumental. The next song “CAROUSEL” talks about how fly he is over a gritty Hit-Boy instrumental & the Frank Ocean hook is very pretty. The track “SICKO MODE” with Drake sees the 2 talking shit & I like how the Rogét Chahayed, Hit-Boy, Cubeatz, Tay Keith & Mike Dean instrumental constantly switches up while maintaining a dark sound. The song “R.I.P. SCREW” is an atmospheric tribute to the legendary Screwed Up Click leader DJ Screw while the track “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD” advises the listener to stay true to yourself over a cloudy trap beat & the James Blake/KiD CuDi hook is phenomenal. I also love the Stevie Wonder harmonica that pops up occasionally.

The song “NO BYSTANDERS” is a club banger with a psychedelic trap beat & the Waka Flocka sample for the hook is amazing. The track “SKELETONS” is a slow love ballad with a mellow Tame Impala instrumental along with some harmonious background vocals from Pharrell & The Weeknd. The song “WAKE UP” is a tribute to both Kylie Jenner & Bella Hadid over a Ging instrumental with rattling hi-hats & some unexpected acoustic guitar passages. I also love the cloudy instrumental outro during the last 40 seconds. The track “5% TINT” gets braggadocious over some bass & ominous keyboards while the perfectly “NC-17” with 21 Savage gets raunchy over a trap beat from Boi-1da with some prominent chimes. The track “ASTROTHUNDER” vents about needing distance over a spacey beat from Travis himself with co-production from John Mayer, Thundercat & Ging and while the song “YOSEMITE” does about the lavish things in life over a nice acoustic trap beat & the Gunna hook is pretty, but the very short ΠΔV verse at the end is totally redundant.

The track “CAN’T SAY” has an amazing Trae tha Truth sample in the WondaGurl instrumental, but I feel like Don Toliver takes up most of it & his nasal tone does absolutely nothing for me. The song “WHO? WHAT!” feels like an leftover from Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho down to the disappointingly generic instrumental from Cardo, but the song “BUTTERFLY EFFECT” makes up for it as he talks about the famous life over a druggy Murda Beatz instrumental. The penultimate track “HOUSTONFORNICATION” is a tribute to Travis’ hometown of Houston over a murky trap beat & then “COFFEE BEAN” finishes it off with fireworks as Travis reflects on his career up until this point over an unexpected boom bap beat from 1985. The prominently twangy guitar throughout is a nice touch, but the heavy guitar & the string sections that pop up during the last minute are just beautiful.

I’ve been waiting 3 years for this & overall, it’s on the same caliber as Rodeo. The production returns to the experimental sound that was displayed on that album & I love how Travis is rapping a lot more than ever on here. There are a couple lackluster moments but outside of that, it’s just another example of why Travis is the greatest trap rapper of this generation.

Score: 4.5/5

Denzel Curry – “TA13OO” review

Denzel Curry is a 23 year old MC from Carol City, Florida who came up as a member of SpaceGhostPurrp’s Raider Klan collective. I first caught wind of him in 2013 with his solid debut album Nostalgic 64, which he would follow up in 2016 with the modern day trap classic Imperial. He’s been laying quite low since then, dropping a EP last year called 13 & doing only a couple features. But now, he’s back on the scene with his 3rd full-length album.

Things start off with the titular track, which Denzel melodically uses as a metaphor for a woman who was molested at a young age over a psychedelic rock influenced instrumental from FNZ. The next song “13LACK 13ALLOONZ” with GoldLink sees the 2 talking about rising above negativity over a moody boom bap beat while the track “CAZH MAN1AC” triumphantly talks about his success over a nice synth funk instrumental. The track “ZUMO” brags about his pockets being bigger than WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion Rikishi over an gritty Charlie Heat instrumental while the song “ZUPER ZA1YAN ZUPERMAN” gets braggadocious over a eerie beat. The track “ZWITCH IT UP” is about Denzel’s lifestyle changes with him cleverly changing his flow throughout over a gritty trap beat from !llmind & Ronny J while the song “MAD 1 GOT 1T” talks to his haters over a gloomy trap beat.

The track “Z1RENZ” with J.I.D sees the 2 getting conscious over a mellow instrumental from DJ Dahi while the song “CLOUT CO13A1N” vents about suicide over a murky instrumental. The track “13LACKEZT 13ALLOON” vividly talks about wanting to connect mind to mind over a minimalist trap instrumental & an annoying hook while the song “PERCZ” is an jab at the misguided youth over an abrasive instrumental. The penultimate track “VENGEANCE” talks about just that over a bass-heavy instrumental & while I do enjoy the first 2 verses from Denzel & JPEGMAFIA respectively, ZillaKami’s doesn’t do anything for me. The closer “13.M.T. (13LACK METAL TERROR1ZT)” finishes it off perfectly by rapidly talking about killing this demon on his shoulder over an abrasive trap beat from Ronny J.

Overall, this is just as fantastic as his last album was. The concept is thought out almost perfectly, it’s well written, well executed & there are moments where Denzel gets more versatile from boom bap to neo-soul.

Score: 4.5/5

The Internet – “Hive Mind” review

It’s been 3 years since their magnum opus Ego Death & with 4 of it’s 5 members making their solo debuts within the past year, Odd Future subgroup The Internet is returning with their 4th full-length album.

Things begin with “Come Together”, where multiple band members beautifully sing in unison & the instrumental takes me back to Jamiroquai’s first 2 albums Emergency on Planet Earth & The Return of the Space Cowboy. The next song “Roll (Burbank Funk)” is taken over by guitarist Steve Lacy & it talks about listening to your heart over a psychedelic instrumental while the track “Come Over” sees Syd singing to this girl she loves over a funky instrumental. The song “La Di Da” sings about dancing with the instrumental suiting the content perfectly while the track “Stay the Night” is a laidback ballad about Syd not wanting this girl she’s with to go home for the evening. The song “Bravo” sees Syd singing to an ex over some prominent drums while the track “Mood” tells the story about a date over some pounding drums & some synth chords.

The song “Next Time / Humble Pie” talks about a woman she’ll never see again over a Neptunes inspired instrumental that’s pretty cool, but then it transitions into the second half pretty well about needing a real love over a more spacey beat. The track “It Gets Better (With Time)” sees Syd telling this woman just that over some dreamy synthesizers while the song “Look What U Started” tells this ex that she’s gonna pay over a funky instrumental. The song “Wanna Be” is a mellow guitar ballad asking this woman to become her girlfriend while the penultimate track “Beat Goes On” sees Matt Martians singing about moving forward & I like how the instrumental transitions from being funky to going into a more high-tempo drum & bass direction. The album then finishes with “Hold On”, where Syd singing to her girl about their love for each other over a dreamy yet settle beat.

I’ve been waiting on this for quite some time after the wait, it definitely lives up to my expectations. Not only is it almost as well written & vibrantly produced as the last album was, but you can just tell that everyone sounds happy to be back.

Score: 4/5

G-Mo Skee – “Chaly & the Filth Factory” review

This is the sophomore effort from Richmond, California lyricist G-Mo Skee. Emerging as a member of the trio Stampede & later the Inf Gang. He would drop 2 official mixtapes Got Filth & Got Filth II: The Great Adventures of G-Mo independently before Twiztid signed him to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2016. His full-length debut My Filthy Spirit Bomb coming out that same winter to significant acclaim & coming off the 8 Bit Filth EP that dropped after the first annual Astronomicon, it’s time for Chaly & the Filth Factory.

After the “Moldy Ticket” intro that parodies, the first song “Ocarina of Crime” sees G spitting some gritty battle bars on here over an eerie instrumental from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 (who produced a bulk of the album). I also love the g-funk synthesizers that pop up during the hook. The next track “Filth Factory” takes the listener inside of his head over a punchy instrumental with some keyboards while the song “Filthy Wonka” has a flute-tinged boom bap beat as well as hilarious bars like a wack rapper’s album going triple styrofoam & getting jumped if you’re hating on him front row at his concerts. Coincidentally, G was on tour with the CES Cru earlier this year & there was an incident where a hater made it past the security gate in front of the stage & G literally kicked him in the face.

The track “Ninja Money” is about his filthy style referencing 2-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, inaugural 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion, NWA World Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer & 18-time WWE tag team champion D-Von Dudley while the song “Mad Hatter” is a jab at all of those biting him over an instrumental with a more vintage West Coast feel to it. The track “Ghost Town” sees him cursing out those who doubted him & did him wrong throughout his career over a somber beat while the song “Front Seat” gets murderous over an eerie instrumental.

After the hilarious Oompa Loompa song parody during the “Midget Army” skit, we go into the track “Laughin’ At You”. Here, G-Mo hooks up with the album’s mixer The Jokerr alongside the legendary Vinnie Paz talks how they don’t take you seriously over a killer rap rock beat. The song “Grouch” talks about how he woke up mad over some bass & a Latin guitar including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin while the track “Bring It On” is an Inf Gang posse cut that’s just overall nasty & in-your-face.

“Wavedash” with Kevin MacLane sees the 2 talking about enjoying the better days over a smooth instrumental while the track “Don’t Wait” compellingly advises the listener not to let their dreams go to waste over a booming instrumental with some gloomy keys with some synthesizers added during the hook. The song “I’m Underground” tells you how filthy he is over a sinister piano-boom bap beat from C-Lance & before things finish with a 40 second outro, the final song “Filthy Imagination” is about how insane he is with a hilarious hook parodying the “Pure Imagination” song.

I’ve been very open about Majik Ninja Entertainment being one of the hottest labels out right now & not only is this one of my favorite albums from them, but I’ll even say it’s the best thing G-Mo Skee has ever done. He truly crafts his magnum opus with a humorous concept parodying the classic 1973 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory with selected fans portraying the 5 ticket winners & refining the hard-hitting production & sharp lyricism that were present on his last album

Score: 4.5/5

38 Spesh & Kool G Rap – “Son of G Rap” review

Just a few months after the release of the Stabbed & Shot collab EP with Griselda Records’ very own Benny the Butcher, Rochester MC/producer .38 Spesh is now teaming up with the legendary Kool G Rap for a full-length collab album. After the intro, we go into the first song “Upstate to Queens”. Here, the 2 get confrontational over a soul sample. The track “Land Mind” is the first of 5 without G Rap, but Ransom fills in for him & they both spit about their closets being filled with fabrics as well as their skills over this somber Alchemist beat. The track “Shame” is basically Spesh solely freestyling over the instrumental of the classic G Rap song “It’s a Shame” while “G Heist” sees the 2 reuniting to talk about a robbery over a Daringer beat with a faint soul sample in the background.

While the song “Dead or Alive” with Cormega does see the 3 vividly talking about the street life, the beat is just alright. “The Meeting” is definitely a big improvement though, as the duo talk about making either problems or peace over a grimy DJ Premier beat. The song “Binoculars” is the 3rd without G Rap, as it’s basically 38 Spesh with Benny the Butcher, N.O.R.E. & Vado talking about drug dealing over a boom bap beat with some eerie strings. The track “Nothin’ Gonna Change” contains more mafioso bars over a decent instrumental as does the song “Bricks at the Pen”, except I feel like the Showbiz instrumental on the latter suits the vibe a lot better.

The track “Flow Gods” with Meyhem Lauren & Freddie Gibbs is a lyrical onslaught with a soulful boom bap beat from Pete Rock while “Heartless” displays their individually compelling storytelling skills over some sinister piano chords. This is also the last song on the entire album to with G Rap on it. The song “Honest Truth” is basically Spesh & AZ “showing cats how to rhyme” over a gloomy beat while the penultimate track “Young 1s” with Che Noir reminisce about growing up over a DJ Premier beat that’s almost as hard as the one he provided earlier. The album then finishes with Spesh freestyling over “Last Name” off of Smoke DZA’s 2016 magnum opus Don’t Smoke Rock about his aborted child.

Wasn’t expecting this around the corner, but it’s pretty solid for the most part. Other than the freestyles being ok & some of the beats being a bit generic, the chemistry between G Rap & 38 Spesh is definitely there on the tracks they appear on together & most of the instrumentals suit them both very well

Score: 3.5/5

B.o.B – “NAGA” review

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B.o.B is a 29 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Decatur, Georgia. He blew up at the beginning of the decade as a T.I. protégé signing to Grand Hustle Records & putting out a pretty solid debut with B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray in 2010. His sophomore album Strange Clouds in 2012 was just as fun as the debut, but then I started to fall out of favor with B.o.B not too long after & for a few reasons. His next album Underground Luxury was pretty uninspired on all fronts & then he followed it up with a couple mixtapes that were just as mediocre like New Black & Psycadelik Thoughtz. Then in late 2015/early 2016, we saw B.o.B completely reinventing himself. He ditched the pop rap sound he became known for & went “conscious”, putting out the first 2 installments of his Elements mixtape series W.A.T.E.R. (We Are the Enemy Really) & F.I.R.E. (False Idols Ruin Egos). He then stated his belief that the Earth is flat, going as far to put out a horrendous diss track towards Neil deGrasse Tyson called “Flatline”. But just a year after following up the Elements mixtapes with Ether, B.o.B is now claiming that he’s retiring from music & that his 5th full-length album over here is his parting gift.

The album starts off with “Kumbaya”, where he monotonously talks about his return over a murky beat. The track “Matador Bobby” is supposed to be a club banger, but it’s annoying. Especially the part halfway through the verse where he repeats Janet Jackson’s name a hundred times. Then we have “Good N****r Sticker”, which contains some bass & rattling hi-hats alongside some painfully corny lyrics. Especially the lines about “It’s sad when you find out the world is trash, wait till they discover it’s flat” & “singing prayers like Sky Daddy blessing black people with good behavior“. The song “Elbows” with Amara La Negra is a cliché ode to twerking with a lifeless hip house instrumental while the track “Gerald Levert” is a generic trap banger down to the flow & the “skrt” adlibs we’ve heard a dozen times already.

The track “Don’t Be Nobody’s Bitch” is one of the better tracks on here, which has a moody trap beat & I do like the concept of him jabbing those who try to bring B.o.B down. Despite a couple corny lines like “I don’t want no kids, that’s for sure. Pulling out my dick like it’s a sword” & “Who do I ride for? Definitely no clowns, you sideshows”. The song “T.M.I.” with Havi is a diss towards the police & it’s not that I don’t like the message (case in point: N.W.A‘s “Fuck tha Police”), but it just comes off vapid. Then we have “Cuello”, which is mindlessly raunchy with a prominent sample of Future’s God awful bridge on “King’s Dead” from earlier this year. The penultimate track ”How It Is” isn’t as obnoxious as the previous song I mentioned, but it is sappy. Especially with lines like “We can do this shit without training wheels”. Then we finally end off with “Bad Computer”, which has a bland beat & a hilariously bad concept about what B.o.B thinks life in 5625 will be like.

If he’s truly retiring from music (because so many artists have said it & a vast majority of them are still around), then this is a horrible way to go out. The production is subpar, the concepts are delusional & a lot of the bars are trite. Don’t get me wrong though: I truly loved B.o.B’s first 2 albums, but he lost his mind shortly after & it’s upsetting to see that confirmed in the end. Still though, I wish him the best of luck on his future endeavors.

Score: 1/5