B-Movie Millionaires – “Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space” review

The B-Movie Millionaires are a duo from the United Kingdom consisting of Manchester, England emcee Black Josh alongside Runcorn, Cheshire emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott. Known for being members of the Cult of the Damned collective, these guys would make their eponymous debut in 2015 with an extended play produced by Axel Holy containing guest appearances from their Cult brethren. However, they’ve decided to hold off on having features for their full-length studio debut almost 2 months since Kurtis Chapman ended Flash Morgan Webster’s reign as RPW British Cruiserweight Champion & I felt like that was an appropriate move as much as I enjoyed self-titled.

After the intro, the first song “Coool Like Dat” breaks the door down with a boom bap instrumental talking about no one being to blame although it ain’t their fault whereas “Chicken Pill” works in a bell sample speaking of the real always recognizing real & those who know staying aware. “Sw£g Level 9000” talks about them being superhuman leading into “Cult Ho£gun” referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion & WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan.

“Camouflage Money” gets the 2nd half going talking about being miles away while “Hawaii” gives off a tropical boom bap vibe to the beat wanting everyone to put their hands in the air. “Whatchusayin” brings back the grit advising anyone approaching them to get to the point & after “River Phoenix” demonstrates some insane cinema wordplay, “Social Media” ends the Millionaires’ full-length debut talking about the negative effects sites like the Meta Platforms-owned Facebook has had on society as a whole.

Between this & of course the B-Movie Millionaires’ introductory EP, I’d say these guys slightly outdid themselves & believe they could make their best work if Black Josh & Lee Scott take some elements from both of their projects & combined them all for a potential sophomore effort. Sam Zircon’s production leans towards the traditional boom bap sound enhanced by Telemachus’ engineering & you get a better look at the chemistry between both members throughout Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space.

Score: 3.5/5

Camila Cabello – “Camila” review

6773332

Camila Cabello is 20 year old singer/songwriter from Eastern Havana, Cuba who has been receiving quite a bit of attention in the pop scene for the past couple years now. She broke off from 5th Harmony in late 2016 & I first caught wind of her when she did a duet with MGK on his latest album bloom calmed “Bad Things”. But I personally found it to be diabetically lovey dovey & given that, I at first wasn’t really looking forward to hearing her solo debut right here. That was until I heard the singles off this thing & saw that Ging produced almost every track.

The album starts off with “Never Be the Same”, where Camila singing about being addicted to this man like a drug addict & the druggy yet tension building instrumental isn’t too bad either. The next track “All These Years” reflects on a breakup over a pretty acoustic instrumental while the song “She Loves Control” talks about a woman who wants things her way over a tropical instrumental.

“Havana” is a dedication to her hometown with some piano chords & thumping drums. Also, the Young Thug verse on here is a nice touch as well. The song “Inside Out” has a seductive tone to it lyrically, but it is catchy. Also, the sunny production from Cashmere Cat enhances this catchy vibe. The track “Consequences” talks about the results of breaking up with someone while the song “Real Friends” expresses Camila’s desire to find just that over a pretty piano passage.

“Something’s Gotta Give” is another breakup song & while the instrumental does have a nice build up as it progresses, but I don’t find it as intriguing as “Consequences”. The penultimate track “In the Dark” recalls an encounter she had with a famous John Doe & then the closer “Into It”, she sings about sex. Both of which contain wavy electro-esque instrumentals.

As a whole, I’m floored. I didn’t like her duets with Shawn Mendes or MGK at all, but this was a great listen. More than I expected it to be. Camila Cabello’s vocals have stepped up majorly, it sounds focused & actually very well-put together from the colorful, vibrant production to the solid songwriting. I was wrong about you, Camila. This is just the beginning of a very successful solo career & I can’t wait to see what you’re gonna do next

Score: 4/5

Maxo Kream – “Punken” review

Maxo Kream is a 27 year old rapper from Houston, Texas & after releasing 4 mixtapes within the past 6 years, he’s now delivering his full-length debut. The opener “Work” starts off with a short spoken word piece & after that, he reflects on his drug dealing days over a gritty trap beat. It then switches into something more ambitious near the end. The next song “Grannies” produced by MexikoDro vividly tells us what it was like for him growing up over a smooth bass-heavy beat while the track “Capeesh” with Trippie Redd sees the 2 talking about the trap philosophy over a druggy beat. The song “Bussdown” talks about the trap life over a banging instrumental whole the track “Hobbies” talks about the gangsta shit that he likes to do over a retro game-esque instrumental.

“Go” talks about his “young niggas” over an eerie instrumental, but I didn’t care all that much for the D. Flowers verse. “Beyoncé” talks about guns referencing former 3-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, 8-time WWE Tag Team Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, HOG Tag Team Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy over an ominous instrumental from Sonny Digital & then the song “Astrodome, Pt. 2” is a catchy sex tune with a laidback instrumental.

The track “Love Drugs” is basically about Maxo choosing drugs over his woman over an atmospheric instrumental & then the song “Pop Another” if you couldn’t tell by the title is about taking pills over a beautiful vocal sample in the background. “Janky” vents about people those who’ve turned his back on him over a bleak instrumental while the song “ATW” continues the same lyrical concept with a more mellow instrumental. The penultimate track “Roaches” reminiscing about his younger days over some gloomy keys & some heavy bass while the closer “5200” brags about his work ethic over a spacey trap beat.

I think we should watch out for what Maxo’s gonna do next, because this will make him into the next big name in trap music. The production is banging, his stories are compelling & they’re delivered so charismatically

Gucci Mane – “El Gato: The Human Glacier” review

With Christmas approaching 3 days from now, iconic trap rapper Gucci Mane is giving fans his 12th full-length album & he has enlisted 808 Mafia co-founder Southside. The album starts off with “Rich Ass Junkie”, where Gucci is talking about serving rich drug addicts over an gloomy trap beat. The next track ”Peepin’ Out the Blinds” talks about firing his gun at people over a sinister yet abrasive instrumental while the song “Dickriders” takes a jab at just those & the bass on here is thumping! The song “Mall” talks about people who wanna “buy his style” over an ominous beat & then the track “Side EFX” talks about people who turn evil over some organs along with some rattling hi-hats.

The song “T.Y.T. (Thick, Young, Tender)” talks about this how hot this woman, but the beat is a bit synthetic. The track “Sea Sick” is a fun party tune the whistling on here was a nice change of pace while the song “Smiling in the Drought” gets confrontational over a menacing beat. The song “El Gato’s Revenge” flaunts on the lifestyle of a drug dealer over an eerie instrumental while the penultimate track “Step Throat” gets braggadocious over an explosive instrumental. The album then closes with “Southside & Gucci” and while it’s only 1 minute long, the short verse Gucci delivers over this thunderous trap beat with a nice guitar sample. This is honestly just as great as Gucci’s 58th mixtape Droptopwop, which he did with Metro Boomin’ in Late May of this year. It’s been long overdue that we got Southside producing an album for GuWop, but their strong chemistry on here makes it worth it

Score: 3.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “SATURATION III” review

With 2017 drawing to a close, California based hip hop boyband BROCKHAMPTON is giving us their 3rd full-length album & the final installment of their highly acclaimed SATURATION trilogy. The album starts off with “BOOGIE”, where they’re talking about how they’re taking over the game & the instrumental from Romil Hemnani & Jabari Manwa will make you wanna throw a party. The next track “ZIPPER” talks about their continuing rise to fame & the beat is infectious as Hell. The song “JOHNNY” is basically the group going back & forth reflecting about them during their adolescence up until now & the jazzy horn sample is super dope. The track “LIQUID” talks about their individual rags to riches stories & the beat is super murky.

After the “CINEMA 1” skit, we then go into the next song “STUPID”. Here, they talk about not wanting boys to see what’s in their phones & the last 2 verses from Dom McLennon along with his brother & BROCKHAMPTON de facto leader Kevin Abstract fits it perfectly. The track “BLEACH” talks about their demons over a druggy instrumental (with the deepest verse coming from Ameer Vann) & then the song “ALASKA” talks about feelin’ brand new over some strings referencing Facebook founder & Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The synths during the hook are great as well. The track “HOTTIE” sees the group talking their consciouses & I absolutely love how JOBA goes back & forth with both Merlyn Wood & Matt Champion on here.

After the “CINEMA 2” skit, we then get into the next song “SISTER / NATION”. Where they talk about finding themselves & their days are coming to rubble over a beat that starts off abrasive yet noisy, but then transitions into something spacey. The track “RENTAL” essentially tackles the idea of the collective losing it all & the beat from Romil alongside Q3 is pretty spacey. The penultimate song “STAINS” expresses their gratefulness of where they are now over a Neptunes-esque instrumental. After the “CINEMA 3” skit, we then go into the closer “TEAM”. It starts off with Ciarán singing over a guitar, but then it changes into something more funky as the other members go back & forth with each other as they get semi-political.

As expected, BROCKHAMPTON finished the SATURATION trilogy the way they started it: near perfectly. The production is more experimental & it’s a bit more introspective. Can’t wait to see what they’re gonna do on their 4th album Team Effort in 2018

Score: 4.5/5

NER*D – “NO_ONE EVER REALLY DIES” review

A little over 7 years after their last album Nothing, Virginia funk-rock band N*E*R*D are returning with their 5th full-length album. The opener “Lemon” talks about hate while making a bunch of political references over an hyphy beat & Pharrell’s performance is super catchy, but Rihanna blatantly rips off Cardi B in her rap verse that it’s painfully underwhelming. The next song “Deep Down Body Thrust” tells all the choke artists that they won’t get away over a funk rock instrumental kin to the band’s 2004 sophomore album Fly or Die. The track “Voila” with Wale sees the 2 getting motivational over a funky guitar, but then it transitions into something more tropical during Wale’s verse. However, I’m a little disappointed Gucci Mane only does the hook.

The song “1,000” may have a decent Future verse in the middle of it, Pharrell & Shay Haley make up for it with their energetically delivered braggadocio lyrics. Also, the beat is thumping! Especially the drop a little bit after the 2 minute mark. The track “Don’t Do It” speaks on police brutality over a mellow instrumental & the Kendrick Lamar verse fits in perfectly. The song “ESP” touches down on the 3rd eye over a video-gamey beat & while the track “Lightning Fire Magic Prayer” continues the spirituality theme from the last song over an instrumental that fits the vibe. Especially during the switch up during the second half.

The song “Rollinem 7’s” with André 3000 vents about being black men in the entertainment industry/modern American society over a trippy beat while “Kites” with Kendrick & M.I.A. talks about unity over a bouncy dance beat. The penultimate track “Secret Life of Tigers” gets rebellious over another infectious dance beat & then the album closes with “Lifting You”, which is a positive celebratory weed anthem over a fitting reggae beat.

Honestly, this could very well be my Album of the Year. It’s well produced, the vocals are on point & it’s their most well-written since Fly or Die

Score: 4.5/5

Eminem – “RƎVIVAL” review

After cleverly promoting it for the past month or so with the fake-drug ads, renown Detroit hip hop superstar Eminem is finally giving fans with his 9th full-length album. The opener “Walk on Water” vents about the struggles he’s had for the best decade or so over a gospel like-piano instrumental from Rick Rubin. The song “Believe” pretty much asks the listeners if they would turn their backs on him over a piano & some awkward snares. The flow is pretty uninteresting as well.

The track “Chloraspetic” gets braggadocious about his rapping prowess over a trap beat from mR. pOrTeR, but the parts where he bites Migos flow is absolutely embarrassing. The song “Untouchable” intelligently talks about racial injustice, but the production on here was just ok & it didn’t need to be 6 minutes long. And on top of that, the “white boy white boy, you’re a rock star” hook is God awful. However, the second half of this is much better than the rap rock-tinged first half. The track “River” talks about a failing relationship over a guitar & after an unnecessary skit preluding the next song “Remind Me”, we get the actual song & it’s sickeningly lovey dovey. Especially with the cheesy “I Love Rock & Roll” sample that’s used throughout a bulk of the track & the corny ass lines like “Your booty is heavy duty like diarrhea” & “you’re smoking like Snoop Dogg”.

After the “Revival” interlude, we then go into the next song “Like Home”. Here, Eminem is dissing Donald Trump over an uplifting instrumental & the Alicia Keys hook is just ok. The track “Bad Husband” is an open apology letter to Em’s ex-wife Kim Mathers over a somber beat & the X Ambasadors hook is mediocre. The track “Tragic Endings” sees Em being pushed around by a manipulative lover over an abrasive beat & while “Framed” goes back to his horrorcore roots with an eerie beat, the hook is annoying.

The song “Nowhere Fast” gets reflective about the younger days over string-induced trap beat & the Kehlani hook doesn’t help at all. The track “Heat” talks about this chick who he thinks is as vile as his RELAPSƎ album from 2009 & the beat is almost the same as “So Far…” off his last album The Marshall Mathers LP 2. The song “Offended” takes a jab at all the naysayers & while the verses & the beat aren’t too bad, the interpolation of “The Knife Game Song” is drab. The track “Need Me” feels more like a P!nk song than an Eminem song given that Em only appears at the end & almost as unbearably sappy as “Revenge” off of P!nk’s latest album Beautiful Drama.

The song “In Your Head” talks about his famous alter ego Slim Shady & The Cranberries sample actually works well. The penultimate track “Castle” sees Em writing 3 different letters to his daughter Hailie in 1995, 1996 & 2007 respectively & it’s absolutely touching. The closer “Arose” talks about his overdose in 2008 & his output since then over an ambitious instrumental, but he literally “rewinds it” to the final verse from the previous song “Castle” during the last minute & a half & it ruins the vibe.

Overall, this is Eminem’s worst album yet. He still has it lyrically, but he needs better features. He needs better production. He needs to stop making some tracks drag on longer than they should’ve. I really had hope that this would be a consistently great album, but I‘m gonna have to accept that poppy Eminem is here to stay forever

Score: 1/5

Juicy J – “Rubba Band Business” review

Pk-jltZwSY0

Just 3 months after the release of his fantastic $uicideboy$ produced Highly Intoxicated mixtape, 3 6 Mafia co-founder Juicy J is finally delivering his 4th full-length album. After the 39 second intro, we get into the first song “Feed the Streets”. Here, J gets with his brother Project Pat alongside A$AP Rocky to talk about doing just that over a sinister trap beat from Metro Boomin’. The next song “A Couple” talks about doing drugs & having sex with hoes over an eerie instrumental from Tarentino while “Buckets” charismatically brags about ballin’ on your bitch at the club over a haunting beat from 808 Mafia co-founder Lex Luger. The song “Dodgin’ the Snakes” jabs at all the haters with a beat from YK fits that the mood perfectly & while I can appreciate the track “Drop a Bag” dissing all the studio gangsters, the G-O-D feature was mediocre to me. The song “Too Many” with Denzel Curry speaks on doing a large amount of drugs over an atmospheric instrumental from Murda Beatz.

The track “Ain’t Nothing” sees J & his TGOD Mafia cohort Wiz Khalifa getting braggadocious over a banging instrumental from Mike WiLL-Made It, but I wasn’t crazy about the Ty$ hook. The song “Flood Watch” talks about the trap life over a piano-trap beat from TM88 & the Offset verse isn’t too bad either. The track “Only One Up” will make you wanna right someone from the abrasive YK beat to Juicy’s energetic performance. The song “Hot as Hell” sees Juicy feeling himself a little too much over a generic trap beat while the penultimate track “No English” talks about getting fucked up over a wild instrumental from Lex Luger & TM88. The Travi$ Scott hook here is pretty decent as well. The closer “On & On” left little to be desired, primarily because it feels more like an leftover from Belly’s latest mixtape Mumble Rap.

Overall, this was well worth the 4 year wait. There are some weak moments, but the production bangs & Juicy sounds energetic as ever for the most part

Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Twiztid Presents: Year of the Sword” review

91JFdKPSWUL._SL1500_

Majik Ninja Entertainment is an underground hip hop label that was founded in 2014 by Detroit hip hop duo Twiztid. The roster has been immensely growing since it’s inception of this year specifically, they’ve dropped 1 great release after another. And now to close out such a great year for them, they’re now giving the fans a compilation featuring new songs from every artist on the label. After a 90 second intro, we then get into the first song “Heads Will Roll” by Gorilla Voltage & Jamie Madrox. Here, they‘re bragging about how their skills will amaze you over a sinister instrumental. The next track “Turn It Up” by Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Bonez Dubb & Lex the Hex Master sees the 3 MCs aggressively getting in your face over a chaotic beat while the track “Fucked” by Boondox, Gorilla Voltage & The R.O.C. talks about how crazy they all are over a haunting instrumental. After a 15 second skit with “Level Up!”, we then get into the next song “Their Fault” by Jamie Madrox & Young Wicked. Here, they’re predominantly singing about those who never gave them a chance & while the vocals during the first half seem nasal, it definitely picks up on the second half. The song “Ignite” by King Gordy, Mr. Grey & Zodiac MPrint talks about how they’re never gonna fall over a killer rap rock instrumental & then “Cut ‘Em Up” by Twiztid & Young Wicked rapidly talk about killing their competition over an abrasive yet eerie instrumental. The song “Lights Out” by G-Mo Skee, Mr. Grey & Twiztid angrily talks about getting murderous on their last day alive & the rap metal instrumental on here fits the vibe like a glove. After the 30-second “Harassment” skit, we then dive into “Don’t Fuck wit Us” by ClocworC, the House of Krazees & Lex the Hex Master. The lyrics are self explanatory, but they’re delivered fantastically over this menacing yet thumping instrumental. The song “Better Than Ever B4” by the Axe Murder Boyz, G-Mo Skee, Lex the Hex Master & Triple Threat talk knowing now than ever before about over some twinkling piano keys & an organ while “Flix ‘n Chill” by ClocworC, Triple Threat & Young Wicked is a predictably decent love song with a wavy instrumental. The song “Get High” by the Axe Murder Boyz, L.A.R.S., Mr. Grey & Triple Threat is self-explanatory weed anthem with a druggy beat while “Galaxy” by G-Mo Skee, Jamie Madrox & King Gordy sees the 3 looking for a challenge over a synthesizer-heavy instrumental. The song “Don’t Tell Me” by Boondox, Gordy & Twiztid tells the haters they’ll never listen to them over a grimy yet thunderous beat & then after the 20 second “Summon the Majik Ninja” skit, we then get into the final song in the standard edition “B.N.U.” (an acronym for Brand New Underground). It’s an explosive posse cut where everyone on the label all talk about their prowess. The “Did You Unplug It?” skit is the final track on here, but there is a bonus disc with 9 tracks. All of which are new solo cuts from each signee on the label, with the exception of Lex the Hex Master’s being previously released on his latest album Beyond Redemption. As a whole, this was a great way for Majik Ninja to end their 2017 & it’s just another example of why they’re one of my favorite labels out right now. The production is gritty as usual & everyone compliments each other fantastically. Can’t wait to see them continue their string of successfully raw releases in 2018

Score: 4/5

Miguel – “War & Leisure” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Los Angeles, California singer/songwriter, actor & producer Miguel. Introducing himself in 2010 off his moderate full-length debut All I Want is You, his sophomore effort albeit RCA Records debut Kaleidoscope Dream & the follow-up Wildheart a month after my high school graduation would both go on to become some of the most beloved alternative R&B of the previous decade. Over a couple years later, he’s ready for some War & Lesiure.

“Criminal featuring Rick Ross begins comparing their love to committing crime over a wavy yet smooth instrumental, but there are a handful of cringey lines on there. Especially the ones about Columbine & Duck Duck Goose near the end of the first verse as well as the one about 9/11 at the start of the second verse. The next song “Pineapple Skies” sees Miggy telling his lover everything will be ok over a spacey instrumental while “Sky Walker” with Travis Scott cleverly inserts many pop culture references as they brush off their haters over a druggy beat.

The song “Banana Clip” talks about protecting this woman in a war on love over a funky instrumental & the song “Wolf” compares himself to just that over a guitar & explosive drums from Raphael Saadiq. The song “Harem” encourages this woman to follow him to see the world in a new way over a mellow instrumental & then the track “Told You So” talks about setting his lover free over a Jeff Bhasker instrumental kin to Michael Jackson’s output during the 80’s.

The “City of Angels” is a vividly told story of Los Angeles fictionally getting destroyed & Miguel expressing his remorse of cheating on his girlfriend prior to her getting killed in the bombing over a down-tuned guitar. The track “Caramelo Duro” (“Hard Candy” in Spanish) is Miggy’s first predominantly Spanish song, but he does it fantastically over this funky beat.

The song “Come Through & Chill” is pretty self-explanatory, as both Miguel & J. Cole encourage their ladies to swing by their cribs to have sex all night over a tropical Salaam Remi instrumental. The track “Anointed” is pretty much Miguel telling his woman that she makes him feel like a God over some bass & then the album then finishes off with “Now”,’ where he gives his take on the world today over a twangy guitar.

Given that I still may have enjoyed a great deal of War & Leisure, I wouldn’t put it in the same discussion as Kaleidoscope Dream or Wildheart. The contemporary/alternative R&B production with minor influences of synth-funk & neo-soul doesn’t feel as ambitious as both of it’s predecessors were during my adolescence with the subject matter getting more political than Miguel has ever been previously.

Score: 3.5/5