Jane Handcock – “It’s Not Me, It’s You” review

Oakland, California singer/songwriter Jane Handcock releasing a sophomore effort after teasing it with a few singles. A member of MacArthur Maze, she introduced herself in the beginning of 2016 off her debut EP Truth Be Told followed by Where’s Jane? as well as Where’s Jane 1.5 & Summer Type Flow. Making her way onto the radar of WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg through Fa Real, she joined Death Row Records for her debut album W.o.W. (World of Women) & is returning almost 2 years since Blvck Saturday with It’s Not Me, It’s You.

After the intro, the first song “Use Me” opens with a boom bap/neo soul crossover produced by Soopafly feeling like she has a genuine connection with this man instead of gold digging whereas “Sorry” swaps out the boom bap elements to throw a hint of rock in the picture apologizing for saying shit she didn’t mean. “Same Ol’ Love” colorfully sings about needing her lover from beginning to end while “You” featuring BJ the Chicago Kid gets together for a jazzy & soulful duet glad to be surrounding each other.

“For the Views” goes for a tenser direction in terms of sound singing about seeing truth & lies just before the funky “Stare at Me” featuring Anderson .Paak finds the pair taking it uptown & running it back downtown. “Stingy” smoothly asks for her lover to save all his love for her wanting him all to herself leading into “Can’t Let Go” after an interlude slickly add singing about being unable to get this man off her mind.

As for “Niraj”, we have Jane over some guitars from Charlie Bereal suggesting that this heartbreaker she knows plausibly needing love while “Smile” serves as a 90 second ode to happiness. “Good ta Me” puts her versatility on the forefront rapping & singing about her desires to give this man everything he wants over a Hit-Boy beat, but then “That’s All I Need” talks about only requiring love over a guitar & finger snaps. “Blowing Wind Around” closes the LP by favoring of rising in love rather than falling in it.

Jane uses It’s Not Me, It’s You as an opportunity to look at herself in all attributes to get the good, bad & ugly parts of her story out there in addition to strengthening Tha Row’s revived R&B division. Unlike the recent October London album October Nights basing itself around soul & contemporary R&B or Charlie Bereal’s debut for the label Walk with the Father throwing it back to the days of 70s smooth soul, MacArthur Maze’s biggest member diversifies from them shifting towards neo-soul mostly.

Score: 4/5

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Boldy James – “Late to My Own Funeral” review

Here is the 16th studio LP from Detroit veteran Boldy James. Breaking out in the fall of 2013 off his Alchemist produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set), he would later go on to land a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records for a little while before getting locked up. Once coming home, Uncle Al would help get his name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China. This was followed up with the Sterling Toles-produced Manger on McNichols which was as equally fantastic, but the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. Bo Jackson though would become his most critically acclaimed work to date & Super Tecmo Bo was almost as great for an EP. Fair Exchange No Robbery produced by Nicholas Craven, Penalty of Leadership, Mr. 10-08 produced by Futurewave, the Conductor Williams-produced Across the Tracks the Harry Fraud-produced The Bricktionary & the Carlo Anthony-produced Hidden in Plain Sight were all welcomed to warm reception additionally. Token of Appreciation produced by Chuck Strangers was much better than both Murder During Drug Traffic & Permanent Ink, the Antt Beatz-produced Hommage left people divided although I didn’t mind it, coming off the V Don-produced Alphabet Highway & the Killing Nothing sequel Conversational Pieces by showing up Late to My Own Funeral.

“Spider Webbing Windshields” opens with a sped-up gospel sample keeping blue tips in the tin mill & putting $10K bounties on heads whereas “Marrero” dabbles with rap rock instrumentally talking about being a ghetto trophy & a collector’s item. “Trapezoid” gets back on the chipmunk soul vibes boasting of the 227 Concreatures been real trappers while “Antonio Tuttle” drumlessly talks about his near death experience.

Reaching the halfway point, “Cordon Bleu” featuring David Wesson brings a jazzier flare to the table breaking down how real this shit gets at time & going crazy with the highest class just before “The Whole Shabang” soulfully talks about wanting it all. “Genie in a Bottle” continues with the sampling advising to take this as a token because time isn’t on his side prior to the 2nd & final single “Nice Try Wrong Guy” figuring out where one’s loyalty lies.

“Meal Prepping” gets the final leg of Late to My Own Funeral soulfully talking about hating thieves as much as rats just before “AT&T” featuring C Dell & Nick Bruno concludes the service linking the trio up over a chipmunk soul beat reaffirming their legitimacy getting up close & personal unlike some of these other killers around their parts or addressing the group of individuals burning bridges with them not knowing how to swim.

Regarding the run Boldy’s been on this year, Token of Appreciation & Alphabet Highway gotta make some room for Late to My Own Funeral since it’s head above shoulders compared to those enjoyable projects & The Pop Catcher has a very high chance joining this a month from now. Nicholas Craven’s production recaptures the drumless, jazzy & chipmunk soul feeling of Fair Exchange No Robbery combined with the expansion of Penalty of Leadership’s near-death experience exploration.

Score: 4.5/5

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Clipse – “Let God Sort ‘Em Out” review

Clipse is a duo from Virginia Beach, Virginia consisting of Pusha T & No Malice. Signing to Elektra Records in the mid-90s, their original debut Exclusive Audio Footage produced by the greatest production duo of all-time The Neptunes wound up getting shelved & jumped over to Star Trak Entertainment/Arista Records to widely introduce themselves on Lord Willin’. Switching distribution deals with Jive Records a couple years later, the Clipse took them to court & Hell Hath No Fury has since become one of the greatest coke rap albums ever. Following the mixed reception of the Columbia Records-backed ‘Til the Casket Drops, both members would embark on solo careers for over a decade & having Roc Nation Records buy them out of their Def Jam Recordings contract according to longtime manager & Victor Victor Worldwide founder Steven Victor for a Pharrell-produced comeback.

“The Birds Don’t Sing” opens the Thornton brothers’ return insisting that the birds screen in pain as the siblings talk about their parents passing on whereas the very reason Def Jam pussed out “Chains & Whips” featuring Kendrick Lamar in fact sticks out as a rap rock highlight calling back to his verse on “Nosetalgia” off Push’s solo debut M.N.I.M.N. (My Name Is My Name) during my sophomore year of high school succeeding that classic song when you think about 3 of the 4 contributors involved in both “Nostealgia” and “Chains & Whips” all have 1 common enemy.

Tyler, The Creator airing out Playboi Carti on “P.O.V.” had to have been a full circle of a moment from him as somebody who’s been following Yung T since the Odd Future era or especially hearing “Trouble on My Mind” during my adolescence until “So Be It” fuses Khaliji music & dirty south airing out the honorary WWE Hardcore Champion Travis Scott for playing “Meltdown” a week prior to UTOPIA’s release & adding Drake’s verse onto it after the fact.

“Ace Trumpets” made for a perfect experimental hip hop & rage lead single with lyrics from the perspective of their days movin’ weight including jabs at Consequence & Jim Jones’ egotistical self having the nerve of putting himself above a later guest at some point during Let God Sort ‘Em on God, but then “All Things Considered” lets everyone know what’s been going on with them lately & the “Dior slides made of iguana” line during the hook made me think of how great they’d look on the current AAA Mundial Mixtas Parejas Campeon Mr. Iguana signed to the Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide subsidiary of the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE.

We have women wanting a “M.T.B.T.T.F. (Mike Tyson Blow to the Face)” since the coke strong as a punch delivered by the WWE Hall of Famer himself harboring white slave master souls in their safe over a boom bap instrumental prior to the blog era throwback “E.B.I.T.D.A. (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization)” featuring Pharrell talking about there being no evening between them since the scale be telling no lies. “F.I.C.O.” picks up from there breaking down the survival of the fittest being either getting acquitted or facing time leading into “Inglorious Bastards” named after the Quentin Tarantino film of the same name marking the return of the Re-Up Gang.

“So Far Ahead” gets the 4th quarter of the Clipse’s comeback going off the rip refusing to eat at Roscoe’s out of respect for the late PnB Rock which is understandable as someone whose had Roscoe’s in the past & a crazy Brittney Griner line while the title track featuring Nas on the 2nd half “Chandeliers” leaving y’all dead on your back with your eyes lookin’ up clearing most of At the Church Steps & “By the Graces of God” closes the LP with the Thorntons explaining they way they escaped the odds.

When the timeless Public Enemy asked on “What Eye Said” off their newest full-length Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025 if any MC can write a verse without cursing, I had mentioned No Malice alongside Method Man’s most recent material & isn’t as bad as O-V-Hoes are making it out to be since their all-time favorite wants to ask “What Did I Miss?” when he got bodied in 2 rap beefs & the group their biggest foe once looked up to saw the Louis Vuitton men’s creative director put doubters calling him washed by going demon time with production & the siblings providing a Ying & Yang factor lyrically regardless of everything that happened with Chad Hugo when he’s always been musically superior as his best friend as said on the criminally underrated In My Mind & the Piece by Piece biopic that I highly enjoyed the previous fall.

Score: 4.5/5

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Larry June – “Until Night Comes” review

This is the 12th LP from Vallejo, California emcee Larry June. Someone who’s been quite busy for almost 2 decades his last 11 studio efforts as well as 14 EPs & 7 mixtapes with the highlights of his ever-growing discography including the Lex Luger-produced Trap Larry, the Cardo-produced Cruise USA & it’s sequel Into the Late Night, the Harry Fraud-produced Keep Going & more recently the mobb music-influenced Jay Worthy collab effort 2 P’z in a Pod, The Alchemist-produced The Great Escape & The Night Shift. His previous album Doing it for Me just came 11 months ago & he’s looking to link back up with Cardo for him to produce Until Night Comes.

After the “Free Uncle Sherm 6” intro, the first song “50’s in the City” kicks it all off showing everybody the way he does shit in the bay over a slick Mobb instrumental whereas “Black Man” kinda leans heavier towards g-funk in terms of sound givin’ a fuck less of what others gotta say regarding him. “Meet Me on Harbor” featuring Black C finds the 2 smoothly doing whatever the fuck they be wanting to do having everything others desire, but then we get a sequel to “7 Mile Bike Ride” off Orange Pint.

“Organic Free Range Chicken” finds himself catching Ws & mobbin’ on all these hoes but after the “Cardo’s Groove” interlude, “Ya Feel Me” featuring E-40 turns the Mobb influences up even higher talkin’ about feelin’ good with a couple big stacks on ‘em. “Gotta Be Love” goes for a nocturnal g-funk vibe to the beat tellin’ his girl how fly she is just before “On the Unda” portrays himself as a pimp suggesting this chick to slip out of store shoes for hoe shoes.

To get the final act of Until Night Comes rollin’, “100 Bags” featuring Don Toliver gets together for a psychedelic pop rap cut responding to their partners asking where they’ve been by saying they’ve been around while “Canadian Snow” soulfully boasts of him speaking like a boss & walking like a kingpin. “Still Game Related” featuring HBK & Payroll Giovanni finds the trio talking about doing what others can’t while the title track featuring Richie Rich & Wiz Khalifawraps it all up with a Mobb outro.

Standing by that Doing it for Me wasn’t up to par with either The Great Escape or The Night Shift, I did however come to enjoy it as much as the Life is Beautiful collaborative effort Larry June did with 2 Chainz produced by The Alchemist back in February & cuts above the last solo effort almost 2 years ago. Cardo’s production get back in the Mobb/trap fusions that made his previous material with Larry stick out & making slight improvements regarding the choice of compared to guests Until Night Comes’ predecessor.

Score: 4.5/5

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J. Michael Phillips & Yelawolf – “Whiskey & Roses” review

Toledo, Ohio singer/songwriter J. Michael Phillips joining Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf for a new collaborative album. One of whom is an urban country artist with only 1 LP of his own under his belt thus far & the other used to be signed to Eminem’s own Interscope Records imprint Shady Records a decade ago. Tony Martinez put out his own debut last summer Everything West introducing an outlaw country style to Slumerican Records & the producer of that is teaming with his newest signing for Whiskey & Roses.

“Helping Hand” throws it back to the 80s new wave & soft rock era instrumentally so both of them can talk about being there for one another whereas “I Swear” marks the first of 3 Yelawolf solo tracks throwing it back to the Arena Rap era suggesting to meet him at the church since he’s no longer afraid of death. “Amnesia” & “Falling” continue the themes of love speaking on a rough breakup during the first & continuously falling for their new partners on the other.

Reaching the halfway point, “Honey Hole” finds both parties sharing verses agin getting on their country shit together just before “Giddy Up” switches it up since Catfish Billy takes on the role of a feature letting J. Michael shine more talking about 2-faced people. “Searching for Heaven” speaks on finding Satan during their journey of seeking the pearly gates while “Yay Yay Yay” featuring Struggle Jennings finds the trio on some trap shit dropping hardcore lyrics.

“Big Trucks” sets Whiskey & Roses’ final minutes off revisiting the structural of “Giddy Up” except Yelawolf’s verse on here in comparison to that previous song feels garishly half-baked prior to “All I Ever Seen” saving J. Michael Phillips’ only solo cut for last embracing a traditional country vibe singing about not forgetting the nightmares & rising above the depths of where he was in life to live his dreams.

For clarification: I firmly believe that J. Michael’s upcoming sophomore effort & Slumerican debut will capitalize on his artistic potential much like Everywhere West did 11 months ago, but Whiskey & Roses would’ve made a better EP than a full-length because of everyone feeling like guests on their own project much like Drake & 21 Savage’s collab album Her Loss or the new Cactus Jack Records compilation Jackboys II.

Score: 2.5/5

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Justin Bieber – “Swag” review

Justin Bieber is a 31 year old singer/songwriter from London, Ontario, Canada signing to Island Records during my time in middle school to put out My Worlds & Under the Mistletoe only to fulfill his obligations with them on Believe & Journals. He has since been on Def Jam Recordings for the past decade & Purposemarked a divisive debut for the label, although Changes & Justice was equally as bad as a great deal of his Island output. Coinciding with Clipse’s comeback Let God Sort ‘Em Out, his 7th album has arrived after receiving an 8 hour notice.

“All I Can Say” made for a decent synthpop intro singing about the inner turmoil in his life at the moment & trying to find some sort of solace whereas “Daisies” fuses bedroom pop & sophisti-pop courtesy of Mk.gee to count down the days he has left for him & his wife Hailey to reunite. The stripped-back “Yukon” tries to figure out what his soulmate would do if he didn’t love her including corny lines like “get a move on like U-Haul” until the atmospheric “Go Baby” sings about creating an emotional space without any sort of judgment.

Haile gets brought up again during “Things You Do” throwing out more weak bars such as “Sunday to Sunday, I’m here whеn you’re weak” leading into “Butterflies” responding to paparazzi gangin’ on him at Coachella this spring. “Way It Is” featuring Gunna was an underwhelming pop rap/synthpop crossover talking about wanting to settle down with their respective partners just before “First Place” sings about wanting to see his spouse in 1st place like “it’s a birthday”.

After the first of 3 questionable Druski skits, “Walking Away” breaks down a few different chapters in the story of his decade-long relationship with Haile while “Glory Voice” sings over a bare guitar for a minute to show off a religious side of himself. “Devotion” featuring Dijon co-produced by Daniel Caesar finds the 2 teaming up for a tribute to Justin’s son Jack stripping the sound back even further while “Dad’z Love” continues to expand on the themes of fatherhood.

“Sweet Spot” featuring Sexyy Red after another Druski skit gets together to bang out a decently sexual synthpop & pop rap duet while “405” after the final Druski skit makes a weak reference to Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man in The Walt Disney Company-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe. The title track feels like a Cash Cobain song since Justin’s only handling the chorus & it does very little for me since I prefer Cash Cobain as a producer than a rapper.

The song “Zuma House” counts down towards the last 5 minutes of the LP singing over an acoustic guitar for a mere 83 seconds asking Hailey if she would catch him if he happened to fall backwards & “Too Long” ahead of the “Forgiveness” outro feels reminiscent to those luscious new wave pop songs you would’ve heard back in the 80s letting off some steam regarding the length of time he’s had away from Haile.

Didn’t even have a review for Swag in mind for the majority of the weekend but when Biebs joined Travis Scott & Jim Jones in dissing Clipse because they “make music for bitter grown men who collect KAWS dolls & still shop at KITH & Union”, it gave me some inspiration & I’ll argue that I liked Swag less than I did Jackboys II & At the Church Steps combined. Mainly because it feels like his attempt at Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers for casuals except it stylistically focuses around contemporary R&B, pop, pop soul, alternative R&B, bedroom pop, sophisti-pop, neo-psychedelia, synthpop, pop rap & gospel

Score: 2/5

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Noah Cyrus – “I Want My Loved Ones to Go With Me” review

Noah Cyrus is a 25 year old singer/songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee notable for being the younger sister of Miley Cyrus & the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus as well as voicing the titular character in the English dub of the スタジオジブリ fantasy classic 崖の上のポニョ. She later signed to Columbia Records after becoming of age, her first couple EPs Good Cry & The End of Everything left listeners divided until her full-length debut The Hardest Part found herself beginning to come into her own. We just got her sister’s most acclaimed project of her career Something Beautiful over a month ago & she’s looking to catch up with her sophomore effort.

“I Saw the Mountains” made for a tight singer/songwriter, Americana & indie folk intro singing about holding onto hope whereas “Don’t Put It All on Me” featuring Fleet Foxes was an unexpected folk pop, singer/songwriter, indie folk, Americana & adult contemporary collaboration that impressed me as a Father John Misty fan since my senior year of high school a decade ago.

Another favorite has to be “What It’s All For?”, delivering vocal performances that feel reminiscent of Miley’s over acoustics reflecting on Noah’s current relationship with her father & the 2 divorces he’s had in 24 months just before “Way of the World” featuring Ella Langley finds the pair coming together for a contemporary country track explaining that them crying on the curb is usually the way it works with them.

“New Country” featuring Blake Shelton served as the final single learning to walk on your own 2 feet & finding your own independence drawing inspiration from Americana once more & the secondary soft rock influences during “Long Ride Home” making our way to the halfway point of were incorporated pretty well singing about her feeling as if the wheels have left the road.

We have Noah over some heavy pianos over the course of “Apple Tree” cautioning not to question or push her to lessen her love since she’s learned from her own experiences that it’s a weapon that ruins everything while “Man in the Field” returns to an Americana sound singing about her father becoming unrecognizable to her & having unfinished emotional business with him implying that he disappears when she calls out for him.

“With You” starts the final act of I Want My Loved Ones to Go With Me wanting someone in her life she’s shared good & bad times with to know that she’ll always be by their side while “Love is a Canyon” comes to a “beautifully true” realization comparing romance to a gorge vulnerably pulling off these low register vocals. “XXX” featuring Bill Callahan closes the album with a duet radiating a nostalgic campfire vibe signing about signing every letter with 3 X’s regardless if it’s to their exes or not.

I wasn’t a fan of Good Cry or The End of Everything, but I did enjoy The Hardest Part for the complete stylistic departure she went for compared to those early EPs & I Want My Loved Ones to Go With Me only reveals what she had inside her all this time. It’s more singer/songwriter & indie folk lenient than the last LP was comfortably finding who she is further pulling from country pop, soft rock, Americana, contemporary country, folk pop & adult contemporary.

Score: 4/5

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Openness Trio – Self-Titled review

The Openness Trio are a jazz trio consisting of Oakland, California guitarist Nate Mercereau alongside Takoma Park, Maryland saxophonist Josh Johnson & Los Angeles, California percussionist Carlos Niño. Known for collaborating with the likes of Kamasi Washington & André 3000, all 3 members have decided to form a new supergroup under none other than the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records & make a broader introduction with an eponymous full-length debut studio album.

“Hawk Dreams” was a solid, freely improvised new age lead single & a better intro to the LP with secondary influences of spiritual jazz whereas “…Anything’s Possible” works in a saxophone & some percussion for a little over 5 minutes. The final single “Openness” blends new age & ambient for the shortest composition of the 5 but once “Chimes in the Garden” embraces the spiritual jazz vibes a bit heavier for a moment, “Elsewhere” finishes with a mesmerizing free improvisational outro that Nate originally teased on YouTube in 2021.

For fans of the prominently ambient new age direction that André 3000 embraced on New Blue Sun or Kamasi Washington making amongst the greatest spiritual jazz of this current millennium even a decade after The Epic, the freely improvised self-titled debut from the Openness Trio brings a sound to the modern Blue Note roster than their own moniker implies & hopefully it’s only the beginning for them collectively.

Score: 4/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 15 (Final Explosion)” review

This is the 25th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records & being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He’s been putting out amongst his best material in the past few years like the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull, the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King series, the Oh No-produced Berserko, the Mike Shabb-produced Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth, Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. I don’t even have to mention the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga since we’re already 14 entries deep & the 15th one looks to serve as the “season finale”.

“D.Y.O.G. (Dig Your Own Grave)” featuring Jay NiCE was a soulful boom bap intro produced by Nicholas Craven breaking down what it’ll be like in a rap battle against them whereas the self-produced “Order of Pain” ruggedly talks about leaving y’all slumped with the Mossberg pump. “It’s Darkness” goes for a drumless chipmunk soul vibe running hunting bags up top rank with the heavy artillery prior to “Flame Weaver” talks about his name being solidified in stone.

As for “Another Meal”, we have Fahim over a bare organ instrumental hittin’ spears harder than 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion as well as 2-time NXT Champion & NXT Tag Team Champion Bron Breakker did to iShowSpeed at the Rumble just before the crooning “Don’t Blink” featuring Jay NiCE references 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair.

“Dead Giveaway” continues the soulful sampling techniques boasting his whole library collection of raw raps & throwing the moon at the last person who wanted to battle him, but then “Break Records” featuring Jay NiCE strips the drums completely for a hardcore chipmunk soul talking about their extraordinary lyricism. Jay NiCE sticks around on “Plant Seed” discussing revenge feeling better than forgiveness to them “Perfect Attendance” featuring Jay NiCE speaks of keeping full clips in the mag.

To get the 3rd & final act of the “season finale” going, “Precise Planning” keeps it drumless weeding out the fake until they get sent to their graves while “Keep Dat” makes MCs catch more shells than the bottom of the sea. “Solid Granite” brings a woodwind into the fold talking about having more guns than Gaston Glock advising to take heed to his warnings & “Bone Cracker” featuring Jay NiCE ends the album blowing .45 ACP mags to make their haters’ comrades sit down.

Said Final Explosion of the inaugural Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap season diverts from the norms of it’s predecessors by having Fahim himself producing almost half of it with the rest being left to Craven as opposed to the others being solely produced by the latter, expanding into a full-length body of work unlike the other 14 entries being EPs & finally 35% of the rhyming throwing it back to his chemistry with Jay NiCE during the 12th chapter capitalizing on the improved schemes of the more recent installments.

Score: 4/5

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Arrested Development – “Adult Contemporary Hip Hop” review

Arrested Development is an alternative hip hop outfit from Atlanta, Georgia consisting of dancer/choreographer Montsho Eshe, vocalist Tasha Larae, vocalist/dancer/choreographer Fareedah Aleem, vocalist 1 Love, guitarist JJ Boogie & frontman/producer Speech. Their 1992 debut 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of… as well as their sophomore effort Zingalamaduni are widely considered to be the most important entries of their discography, putting out 10 LPs since then with the most recent being Bullets in the Chamber. A year & a half later, their 13th album has finally arrived to start the 2nd half of the year.

“Let’s Get On with It” was a jazzy, soulful boom bap intro produced by Configa calling for everyone to keep striving in their respective fields whereas “All I See is Melanin” kinda has a funkier vibe to the beat talking about melanin pride. “Live Forever” works in some orchestral elements for the instrumental suggesting that people need to be led while “My Job Ain’t Done” hooks up some jazzy horns from Speech explaining his mission is far from over.

We still get some jazz-inflicted brass on “Easy” representing a brand new style of hip hop music just before “Flowers” talks about being unable to help themselves from giving people black power energy. “Forward Ever” kinda has a funkier flare to the beat basing itself around the concept of continually progressing instead of moving backwards while “Pearls” keeps the vibes groovy pleading for the shell to open up & not being afraid.

“Pulsate” finishes up the 2nd quarter of Adult Contemporary Hip Hop with a delicately jazzy boom bap instrumental discussing our palpitations while “Baby Yes” chops up a chipmunk soul sample take on themes of love. “Original” brings a woodwind into the fold praising the lord & keeping the faith while “Mil Town Soldier” finds themselves charismatically riding around in a 1968 Chevrolet Nova.

Bee Taylor joins the crew for a jazzily dusty hardcore hip hop collab “Pack It Out” allowing them to speak on who got the magic & who doesn’t, but then ”Goal Dysmorphia” explains that the titular issue was exactly what happens when one goes through a metamorphosis. “Family” kinda has this lo-fi feel to the beat responding to those questioning who they are by saying they’re like relatives while “Stay Awake” soulfully talks about his dad teaching him not to be poor.

The song “Lifing” marks the beginning of the end regarding Adult Contemporary Hip Hop returning to the boom bap knowing that days can be completely different instantly while “Danger” looks to completely blow any & all competition out of their frame dismantling those whose pen game couldn’t hold up to Speech’s then or now. “Stardust” closes the full-length by atmospherically responding to the question of how they handle their fame.

Reflecting on freedom along with self-determination & the contradictions still woven into African American life this 4th of July, what Arrested Development achieves with Adult Contemporary Hip Hop feels similar to what Public Enemy on Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025 last weekend: Proving their relevance after decades in the game. The homage to the late Twan Mack takes on theme of melanin pride, the state of the world since this January, mortality, relationships, love, legacy & bar-for-bar energy elevated in part by soulful boom bap production.

Score: 4/5

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