Freddie Gibbs – “Alfredo II” review

Yes, the 6th studio LP from Indiana emcee Freddie Gibbs has finally arrived. Blowing up initially over 2 decades ago with his debut mixtape Full Metal Jackit, he would sign to Interscope Records for a brief period of time until he left without dropping an album with them. This was made up for with the mixtapes The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs & Str8 Killa No Filla, which would catch the attention of Jeezy & land Freddie a contract with CTE World in 2011. However, Gibbs eventually left CTE the following year after releasing the tapes Cold Day in Hell & B.F.K. (BabyFace Killa). In 2013, he decided to form his own label E$GN Records & finally dropped the full-length album E.$.G.N. (Evil $eeds Grow Naturally). He & iconic Oxnard producer Madlib would drop their MadGibbs debut Piñata the year after that, which is EASILY one of the greatest hip hop albums of the previous decade. Gibbs continued to grow his profile after that with Shadow of a Doubt, You Only Live 2wice, Freddie & the Curren$y collab EP Fetti & who can forget MadGibbs’ sophomore effort Bandana or Alfredo produced by The Alchemist? $oul $old $eparately made for a valiant major label debut under Warner Records & You Only Die 1nce returned to his independent hustle, recapturing the magic of Alfredo for a sequel of it’s own.

“1995” opens with a jazzy, drumless 2-parter picking up exactly where “1985” left off talking about being ok regardless of haters & bitches snaking whereas “Mar-a-Lago” swaps out the drumless elements in favor of boom bap making it clear that the feds ain’t gettin’ nothing after tryna hit his shit. “Lemon Pepper Steppers” turns the jazz influences up a bit talking about people tryna block his blessings prior to the silky “Ensalada” pleading to get away from this place he’s in.

Jim Jones gets dissed during “Empanadas” stripping the drums once again just before “Skinny Suge II” talks about being the last don & looking to body every last person whenever he’s in the middle of a job. “Feeling” featuring Larry June chops up a soul sample for both of them to keep it trill leading into “I Still Love H.E.R.” homaging the テリヤキ・ボーイズ single of the same name featuring & produced by Ye formerly known as Kanye West.

“Shangri La” soulfully airs his grievances towards a woman that he deems to be “sneaky”making better use of an unused verse recorded during the Vultures sessions when ¥$ was still together at the beginning while “Gas Station Sushi” addresses his falling out with Curren$y not too long after Fetti was released. I found both the “Pee on city girls like P. Diddy” line & the DJ Akademiks diss not even a minute into “Lavish Habits” to be pretty funny while “Gold Feet” featuring J.I.D finds the pair getting together talking about feeling great.

The song “Jean Claude” gets the final 7 & a half minutes of Alfredo II started with a drumless jazz rap track comparing life to the 1988 martial arts film Bloodsport & recommending to take the role of Frank Dux in that situation as a way of survival while “1,000 Mountains” closes the album with 1 last boom bap cut arguing that the only person who he feels can outrap him is André 3000, taking it a step further by contemplating taking a flute & hiding out similarly to what the Prince of hip hop did.

Don’t want to take away from the highlights $oul $old $eparately & You Only Die 1nce both have even if I lean more $oul $old $eparately, but Freddie Gibbs reunites with one of my top 10 producers of all-time for a successor to make an Alfredo successor that takes it back to what made that original LP the most beloved solo effort in the E$GN Records founder’s discography as he prepares for his next project fully produced by KAYTRANADA.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Cool Calm Pete – “_demolition” review

Cool Calm Pete is a 46 year old MC/producer born in Seoul, South Korea & raised in Queens, New York getting his start by forming the group Babbletron with both Jaymanila & DJ Pre respectively. Although the trio would eventually disband after their sophomore effort Mechanical Royalty despite the acclaim it received compared to Ramble at a Discount, his solo debut Lost had celebrated it’s 2 decade anniversary only a couple weeks ago & has making a primarily self-produced comeback following Leonard Z getting scrapped.

After the instrumental “Hertz” intro, the lead single “These Daze” works in a drumless piano loop to ask if anyone remembers the times when life was carefree & becoming increasingly careful with time passing whereas “Now!?” takes a cloudier boom bap approach talking about people wanting to break you down. “Mountains” keeps it dusty to discuss being anything you want & after the “Atlantis” instrumental interlude, “Prologue” samples a violin to talk about trying to survive for kicks having nothing left other than a shoe deal.

“Online” gives off a funkier vibe to it with a spoken word delivery during the 1st half of it until letting the beat ride out on the other just before the psychedelic “Everyday” explaining that running away isn’t an option as a far as he’s concerned. “Ruff Mix” goes for a cloudier direction instrumentally so he can talk about getting rich leading into the funkier “Economics” points out society is either over the top or over the hill.

The kicks & snares come back in the fold on “Seconds” boasting that he could be counting the bread for days while the drumless “Ghost Time” talks about the way everything seems to him. After the compositional “Short Stop” intermission, “GPS” gives off a lo-fi feeling to address someone who’s been in his dreams while “1000 mph” dustily talks about others not knowing shit regarding him. “Hats & Glasses” lastly sends off the LP by having Pete salute his people rockin’ it.

Almost 2 weeks succeeding the 20 year anniversary of Lost, the founding Babbletron member makes his official return by focusing less on the humor that his solo debut had in favor of emphasizing a more personal side to himself. Furthermore, he holds off on having any guests join him to let his production on all except the last 2 tracks occasionally shine taking a backseat from the mic using crazy sampling chops.

Score: 4/5

@legendswill_never_die on Instagram for the best music reviews weekly!

Estee Nack – “B.R.A.P. 2 (Big Rifles & Pistols)” review

Pretty sure this has to be the 14th proper full-length studio LP from Lynn, Massachusetts emcee/producer Estee Nack. Emerging as a member of the Tragic Allies, he also branched out on his own my senior year of high school off his Purpose-produced solo debut 14 Forms: The Book of Estee Nack & has since built a lengthy yet impressive discography for himself. Other highlights include the Sadhugold-produced Surfinongold.wav alongside it’s sequel The Order of the Golden Fleece, the Giallo Point-produced Papitas & it’s sequel, his collab efforts with al.divino, the V Don-produced B.R.A.P. (Born Rewards & Penalties), the Griselda Records debut Nacksaw Jim Duggan, the Mike Shabb-produced Live at the Tabernackle & the Futurewave-produced Stone Temple Pyrex. Commemorating the 2-year anniversary of B.R.A.P. (Born Rewards & Penalties) this spring, Nackman & V Don are looking to pull out the Big Rifles & Pistols for a follow-up.

The title track was a jazzily drumless intro talking about haters casually ducking headshots whereas the 2nd & final single “LAKOTA DREAM CATCHER” heads for a soulful boom bap direction speaking on trying to wake up those who prefer to sleep on him. The lead single “CARVEL” finds himself properly executing a plan that cannot fail leading into “EZBRED” featuring Al-Doe links the 2 up to talk about being centuries ahead of the rest.

“OGFIRE” nears the end of the 1st half of the album by telling those who think they know him to cut that shit out just before the atmospheric “HIGHTECHNOLOGY” featuring al.divino, BoriRock & Shaykh Hanif finds the trio talking about running the game in a vice grip. After the “TRUE ESSENCE” interlude, “COLDER” featuring Ty da Dale returns to the boom bap so both of them can talk about their pockets being full of bloods & crips just before we get a treated to a “PAPERCHASIN’” sequel pulling from rap rock.

To start the final leg of B.R.A.P. 2 (Big Rifles & Pistols) the song “OFFTHEPLANE” takes it back to the basement looking at taking his competition down rather quickly while “RINGWALK” talks about being in tip top shape for the purchase. “ELEGANTDELINQUENT” featuring al.divino reunites the duo 1 last time over pianos providing something flavorful for their customers while “ILDUCE” caps it all off with a hardcore hip hop closer talking about being victorious without violence.

V Don’s been staying busy all year whether it be his 2nd EP albeit Black Soprano Family Records/Roc Nation Records debut Sent For at the end of January or producing Boldy James’ 14th album Alphabet Highway over 2 months later, but his production during B.R.A.P. 2 (Big Rifles & Pistols) feels a little jazzier than the original B.R.A.P. (Born Rewards & Penalties) not to mention the guest list being a step down from the predecessor.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Lelo – “New Detroit” review

Here is the full-length studio debut from Detroit, Michigan rapper Lelo. Signing to 10K Projects a year earlier, he would make his presence known more widely in the local trap scene by putting out his 4th EP Nightingale not too long after landing a record deal & gained even more exposure a month later by dropping the single “No Contempt” on SoundCloud. LifeAfterDogshit & When It’s Over would both increase his profile, returning 7 months after the latter to flex his New Detroit status.

“Soldier” opens up with a cloudy Detroit sound talking about giving a fuck less regarding the American dream & wanting to be in a position where’s doing good from both financial & health standpoints whereas “Good for Your Health” responds to a hoe telling him to quit showing off when he only wants to smash. “Forever in a Day” continues the cloudy Detroit trap vibes talking about picking up loads at every pit stop while “Paris” encourages a woman to follow him to France.

As for “100,000 1s”, we have Lelo encouraging everyone to get it while they’re young just before “Call It” talks about not trusting a bitch in roughly a decade. “Leisure” finds himself pondering the idea of giving a bitch $1K so he can keep her around for a bit longer until “F.A.L.” officially concludes the 1st half talking about taking shit to kill shit & not wanting to fall in love with this woman who makes him feel like he’s on cloud 9 whenever she boots him up.

“Between the 20s” kicks off the 3rd quarter unpacking a lot of shit that he has on his mind including him asking God to fill his cup back up & trying to turn someone out while “Sudden” produced by Tony Seltzer confronts an individual regarding them fucking with him all of the sudden outta nowhere. “AM” talks about him getting throwed in the morning to numb some matters he’ll take to his grave while “Groundhog Day” comes through with a 2-parter explaining that it feels like the same shit & different.

The song “Mourning Money” nears New Detroit’s conclusion talking about never being the type to go chat with people & having his entire squad willing to go to war for him while “Chirp” discusses feeling 1,000,000 wounds, with not a single one of them being effective from his point of view. The closing track “Survivor’s Guilt” ends the LP talking about him admittedly making plays when he was on autopilot & having nothing other than the post-traumatic mental condition itself.

Some may remember me saying Lelo’s debut album would elevate himself to the next level artistically during my concluding thoughts on When It’s Over & not only does New Detroit accomplish that, but it offers some of the best Detroit trap in 2025 & brings everything heard throughout his early extended plays full circle. The production minimizes the influences of standard trap & emphasizes the cloudy Detroit sound undertones to make something refreshing out of combining the 313’s musical past, present & future.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Tyler, The Creator – “Don’t Tap the Glass” review

New surprise LP & the 8th overall from California emcee, singer/songwriter, producer, actor, visual artist, designer & comedian Tyler, The Creator. Emerging as the de facto leader of Odd Future, his evolution both artistically & personally since the collective’s disbandment last decade has truly been amongst the most fascinating ones I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime going from the bratty edginess of Bastard & Goblin to the undeniable maturity & versatility shown on Flower Boy & Igor. Call Me If You Get Lost happened to be his best lyrically & Chromakopia was a mature refinement of Cherry Bomb, releasing Don’t Tap the Glass in the middle of his ongoing tour.

“Big Poe” featuring Pharrell instrumentally throws it back to something The Neptunes would’ve made in the early 2000s with both of them introducing us to this new alter-ego possibly homaging the late Big Moe of the Screwed Up Click whereas “Sugar on My Tongue” takes on a more sexual tone with the lyrics experimenting with hip house. “Sucka Free” lyrically carries over the confidence of his “hey now” freestyle last Christmas except for a g-funk beat backing him until “Mommanem” drumlessly compares his haters to children.

One of the craziest instrumentals Tyler has ever made lands on “Stop Playing with Me” fusing Miami bass & electro calling for detractors to hop off his dick while “Ring Ring Ring” goes for an Off the Wall-era Michael Jackson vibe singing for his lover to pick up the phone & hoping they’re well. The title track boastfully laughs at the idea of him losing touch with the regular folks when he’s never been regular his whole career & “Tweakin’” brings back the synths to find himself trippin’ making the first 2-parter since Call Me If You Get Lost.

“Don’t You Worry Baby” lets DAISY take over the vocal performances singing about having the time & giving it to him before he falls asleep showing a Miami bass influence again while “I’ll Take Care of You” comes off as more of an interlude heavily sampling both Killa C & Princess’ verses during the Crime Mob’s biggest hit “Knuck If You Buck” for 3 & a half minutes. Including the Cherry Bomb title track’s drums. “Tell Me What It Is” ties up the half hour experience with a closer reminiscent of IGOR feeling skeptical of opening up his soul for love since he doesn’t know exactly how to.

Tyler, The Creator commemorates the 8-year anniversary of Flower Boy by straying away from the conceptual themes throughout a bulk of earlier material & whipping up a candidate for Album of the Summer with only a couple months left. It’s more centered around the pop rap & dance styles than anything he’s done previously pulling further inspiration from synth-funk, Miami bass, electro, neo-soul, dance-pop, hardcore hip hop, hip house, Atlanta bass & contemporary R&B doing what Drake thinks he did on Honestly, Nevermind but far superior.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Raekwon – “The Emperor’s New Clothes” review

Raekwon is a 55 year old MC from Staten Island, New York known for being a member of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan. His solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… & it’s sequel are both some of the most beloved albums in all of hip hop, with the overlooked Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang falling right behind them. I.M.M.O.B.I.L.A.R.I.T.Y. (I Move More Officially By Implementing Loyalty And Respect In The Youth) as well as The Lex Diamond Story & The Wild all left people divided for their own different reasons & of course F.I.L.A. (Fly International Luxurious Art) being the worst in his discography. Signing a new distribution with Mass Appeal Records however, the Ice H20 Records founder continues the Legend Has It series with his 8th album.

After the intro, the first song “Bear Hill” opens with a bit of a lounge vibe getting bricks from Hitsville as well as staying fresh & crisp for more money whereas “Pomogranite” featuring Carlton Fisk & Inspectah Deck finds the trio over a boom bap instrumental talking about Dons never bowing. After the “Veterans Only Billionaire Rehab” skit, “Wild Corsicans” featuring Griselda blends chipmunk soul & boom bap together to discuss lives being lost because they ain’t moving right while “1 Life” produced by the J.U.S.T.I.C.E League talks about hip hop being exploited for profit.

“Open Doors” following the “Barbershop Bullies” skit works in some horns dedicating itself to the type of people who be blowing their nose in the flyers horns just before Swizz Beatz pulls from orchestral music during “600 School” featuring Ghostface Killah & Method Man bringing the trio together to get on some gangsta shit. “The Guy That Plans It” returns to the boom bap with an interesting Marvin Gaye sample talking about Rae preferring to be revered than be feared at the beginning & the end, but then “Da Heavies” moderately throws it back to the Lex Diamond era.

After the “Officer Full Beard” skit, “The Omerta” featuring Nas finds the pair over a Nottz beat talking about being examples of who they said they were while “Get Outta Here” featuring Ghostface Killah soulfully breaking down the billionaire lifestyle. After the “Sober Dose” skit, “Debra Night Wine” featuring Marsha Ambrosius opens up about a woman who ended up playing him while “Mac & Lobster” featuring Ghostface Killah finishes The Emperor’s New Clothesexplaining that nobody want it with them & having big plans being dreamt of.

Pushing the Legend Has It saga forward, the Chef’s official Mass Appeal debut makes us wait a little longer for Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… III by pushing the message of valuing truth over trends & blocking trends from controlling your authenticity. It’s more polished than his most recently material with the production being the strongest since Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang & a majority of the guests are more well picked out than The Wild was enhancing the aggressive wordplay use to get it’s theme across.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

che – “Rest in Bass” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist che releasing his sophomore effort a month after its announcement. Starting as a member of the 4ersona collective under the original moniker murkio before settling on cheRomani+ & later abbreviating it, it wasn’t until more recently where he decided to build a solo catalog for himself by putting out the debut EP 3 over a year ago & followed it up in the form of X or the original version of his 3rd EP Closed Captions a couple summers ago. Crueger that same Halloween showed more of a Chief Keef influence & is saying Rest in Bass nearly 11 months since his highly acclaimed rage debut sayso says.

“Slam Punk” was a rage-inducing opener talking about a girl calling him “Based God” shouting out none other than Lil B whereas “Rolling Stone” turns up the hypertrap vibes talking about having the Devil on his shoulders telling him to go. “On Fleek” puts his vocal range on the forefront advising the opps to call it keeps leading into “Lip Filler” talking about being so dangerous that he could possibly die young.

Former 4-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, future WWE Intercontinental Champion & 5-time WWE tag team champion Sheamus gets referenced on the 2-parter “Hood Famous” posting up with felons just before “Bossupp” incorporates another beat switch referencing both WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage and the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champion & current 4-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy of The Hardy Boyz.

“Marceline” keeps the rage beats coming likening his girl to the character from the Discovery Global-owned Cartoon Network series Adventure Time because she only comes out during the evening leading into “Die Young” produced by gyro talking about not wanting to grow old & going out in the fast lane. “Hellraiser” by OsamaSon looks to stir up some shit & CXO going for an experimental trap direction instrumentally, but then “Dior Leopard” hits us with another 2-part song talking about relapsing on drugs.

xaviersobased continues the 2nd half of Rest in Bass joining che during “Mannequin” homaging the late great Kobe Bryant bagging 24 hoes together while “Black Swan” splits itself in half again talking about being uncancellable & turning up at Summer Smash last month. “MDMA” makes several callbacks to sayso says speaking up regarding his lifestyle of recording in the studio & doing ecstasy while “Never Too Young to Die” featuring Chuckyy talks about being on top instead of middle men.

“Eardrummer” kicks off the final leg of the LP on a cloudier note thanks to Ginseng addressing his consistency & rise to fame while the distorted “Doe Deer” talks about simultaneously being a monk & a punk. “Stagedivin’” discusses making the mosh pit at the rave even bigger dying on the hill of not fucking with pigs while “Ba$$” samples “Lemon Glow” by Beach House finishing the album by talking about doing drugs & not wanting to leave.

Starting the Christmas Day deluxe run, “King of Rock” gives the audience more bass taking about shooting at opps & arguing the rights for that very title while “Make Out with My Choppa” boasts of poppin’ 100 bottles for 100 thots kissing a firearm. “Holy Moly” talks about drugs having him moving in slow motion & never running out of bread while “Die Hard” divides itself into 2 halves homaging the iconic action film that people to this day debate whether or not it’s a Christmas movie.

“Cutthroat” talks about pulling up to a meeting high as Hell & keeping that very attitude while the self-produced “Monster” confesses to sippin’ lean like he’s sick, going beast soon as he pops some ecstasy. “Dirty Sprite” comes through with another 2-parter talking about drank once again while “Serve da Ba$$” references former IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions Brock Lesnar.

We have che talking about putting in the work much like one of Rihanna’s biggest hits “Work” off her magnum opus ANTI on “RiRi” & once the distorted “Whippin’” featuring OsamaSon reunites 2 of the biggest artists in rage currently 1 last time admitting that both of them are still up in the kitchen like they’ve always been, “What’s Love?” talks about wanting to be told what genuine affection feels like & yearning for his girl to stick around with him until the evening.

“Freak Neek” shouts out the late Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne who tragically passed away earlier this summer although there’s a homophobic bar at the very beginning of the verse that made me raise an eyebrow while “UAV” talks about his preference of sleeping with his lover instead of taking ecstasy & cooking opps. The final bonus track “I’m Sorry” appropriately finishes one of the most beloved rage albums of 2025 apologizing for falling in love, only wanting a Mercedes.

Ditching the secondary digicore & electroclash influences of sayso says, Rest in Bass hones in deeper on the experimentally hardcore rage sound of his debut last summer perfecting in his own way that makes it feel refreshing when it began to seem that the style was getting played out & taking heavier inspiration from Playboi Carti’s sophomore effort Whole Lotta Red celebrating it’s 5-year anniversary this Christmas by having che pushing this style of trap forward.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Forth Wanderers – “The longer this goes on” review

Forth Wanderers are a Midwest emo/indie rock band from Montclair, New Jersey consisting of guitarist/songwriter Ben Special, guitarist Duke Greene, bassist Noah Schifrin, drummer Zach Lorelli & lead singer Ava Trilling. Introducing themselves in 2013 off their debut EP Mahogany followed by their full-length debut Tough Love & their 2nd EP Slop, the quintet would break up in the summer 2018 after Ava had some mental health issues following an eponymous sophomore effort. 7 years later, Sub Pop Records has brought them back together for their 3rd studio LP.

“To Know Me / To Love Me” fuses indie rock & noise pop to sing about knowing what this person in mind already thinks of her & suggests that they might as well admit to her face whereas “Call You Back” returns to their signature indie rock sound advising to leave her be since she has it really badly promising she’ll return the call later. “Honey” works in a reverberated guitar melody using the condiment as a simile for watching everything slow down prior to the indie rock/post-punk revival crossover “7 Months” singing about spending weeks laying in bed & nights without any sort of sleep whatsoever.

Ava & company bring a jauntier vibe to “Spit” wanting to be told how she felt having this individual’s name in her mouth & making it an effort to get their name out of it while “Springboard” continues to delve back into their indie rock roots asking if an unspecified person likes to watch her dance for the reason being that she could get in the mood being taken piece by piece. “Make Me” shows off some minor country & blues influences singing about being lied to just before “Barnard” blends surf rock & pop wanting to forgive someone she met when she was young.

“Bluff” was the 3rd & final single to be teased during The longer this goes on’s rollout with Ava admitting it’s fucked up that she would rather leave a person lonely than have to have her deception called out while “Don’t Go Looking” finishes the album by singing about wanting what’s hers being taken from her since it doesn’t work for her anymore & suggesting it would be a waste of time if one went snooping around because of the fact all is buried deep down.

In spite of Forth Wanderers sounding more self-aware & self-assured than ever, Ben has already clarified that the band hasn’t fully reunited since they’re still figuring out what’s next whether it be more music or tours. Sub Pop Records nonetheless allows the indie rock outfit to further distance themselves from the prominent Midwest emo sound of their debut in favor of indie rock similarly to what self-titled did with the exception it’s indie emo undertones are replaced with indie pop, noise pop, post-punk revival, grunge, shoegaze, country & blues, slacker rock, dream pop & jangle pop.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Joyner Lucas – “ADHD 2” review

Here is the 3rd studio LP from Worcester, Massachusetts rapper & singer/songwriter Joyner Lucas. Somebody who first came to my attention in late 2016 with an incredible verse on “Sriracha” off of Tech N9ne’s 17th album The Storm, he exposure would increase the following year with the single “I’m Not Racist” along with a verse on “Lucky You” off of Eminem’s 10th album KAMIKAZƎ the year after that & his full-length debut ADHD was released during the COVID lockdowns to negative feedback from both critics & fans. Not Now, I’m Busy came out a year & a half ago to more mixed reception & basically half of ADHD 2 was already released as singles like literally every other rollout he’s had in the past.

After the “Family Therapy” skit, the first song “I Wish I Knew” opens with some pianos & hi-hats talking about inner growth featuring spoken word bits from WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg whereas “the “Fuck your top 5 ’cause I’m in the top 3 of your favorite top 5, let’s get this shit straight” on the lead single “One of Them” was laughable considering that Joyner’s discography comes nowhere close to Kendrick Lamar’s. Even if the horn-trap instrumental to be decent.

“Tear Me Down” featuring Ava Max made for a decent pop rap single tackling the theme of love hurting more than it heals & after the “Kevin” skit, “The Way That I Am” gives his flowers to Eminem much like he did with the Will Smith tribute “Will” on his debut. “Riot” is somewhat better talking about having money on his head & on the verge of getting arrested while “Hate Me” featuring T-Pain gives off a futuristic trap feeling to it coming with an 8 piece after others thought he was done.

After the “Denzel” skit, “White Noise” starts the 2nd half of ADHD 2 with a country trap fusion layering some auto-tune on his vocals feeling like his thoughts are getting too loud while “Butterfly Effect” carries the acoustics & hi-hats over to talk about going to another dimension if he could. “Anxiety Wins” featuring blackbear finds the pair getting on some emo rap shit until Ty$ probably saves my favorite feature on the album for “New Sofas” making up for typical Joyner bars like “To be Frank I don’t even do Oceans” leading into the “Therapy Checkup” skit.

Big Sean’s verse during “Active” was another highlight for me as he & Joyner talk about being outside when the lights are out while “Time is Money” featuring DaBaby & J Balvin could be the most tedious collaboration here with J Balvin’s verse at the end being my favorite regardless if it doesn’t do the rest of the song justice. “Listen to My Demo” is another favorite reflecting on trying to make it from 1999 to 2015 & the same can be said about “Momma” produced by N4 paying tribute to his mother.

“GTA VI” starts the deluxe run claiming that people were looking forward to this as much as the most anticipated video game of the decade when I can’t confirm that while “Enemies” featuring Kodak Black talks about money making people turn against you. “Deep End” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again wasn’t a whole lot better, rambling that they feel like they’re slippin’ for no reason while “Monsters” unnecessarily remixes the 24hrs joint of the same name.

My favorite bonus track of the 8 would be the “Letter to My Younger Self” telling himself that he’ll touch the world someday while “Incognito” talks about being disguised with his girl whenever they’re out in public. “Set It Off” featuring Lihtz annoyingly boasts of running bags up to the point where they can’t stay low & after “Crashing Down” talks about everything going great until it’s not, “Reconsider” caps it off with a boom bap outro hoping a bitter individual realizes that they’re the problem.

Almost halfway through the current decade & ADHD is still widely considered to be amongst the worst hip hop albums of the entire decade, so my expectations weren’t all that high considering that & Not Now, I’m Busy being mediocre. And when he said “Nobody Cares” regarding his beef with Skepta, he wasn’t wrong considering that lame ass beef all drummed up in him dropping a sequel to his debut that’s slightly better than the original. Not trying to say he can’t rap because he can, he simply has a below average ear for production & the guests’ performances are equally tiring as his.

Score: 1.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Rollinthrax – “B4” review

This is the sophomore effort from The Bronx, New York rapper Rollinthrax. Delivering a slew of EPs from Fuckui<3u & 24×7 to SSX & ¡ridescentearly on in the decade, all of which built up for his full-length debut 2eZ celebrating his birthday with a fun batch of cloudy trap/rage songs. His debut mixtape One2Nun came out at the beginning of 2023 & he’s ready to take himself to the next level on B4 to the delight of many finishing up a feature run he’s been on since.

Fitting enough, “Is U Ready?” opens with synthesizers & hi-hats eagerly awaiting to run up a check leading into the cloudy “Wassup” produced by Cade feeling reminiscent of Lil Uzi Vert talking about a chick who acted like she loved him & later switched up. “It’s History” gets into his rage bag with the help of Jwade making different investments as of late prior to talking his shit during the single “Check Ur Phone” using crazy sampling techniques from n9ck.

“Almighty” pulls from the hypertrap subgenre again feeling zombified off too many drugs & wanting to be omnipotent just before “Opponent” gets back on a cloudy trap vibe talking about seeing dead bodies all around him. “VIP” hops over more rage beats comparing life to a game of chess & fucking with him being your worst mistake, but then “Irregular” fuses trap & glitch hop to talk about sticking out from the rest.

Thrax used the horn-inflicted “How U Bomin’?” to flex that he’s always 2 steps ahead while “Pass da Cup” clarifies making it to the next level is part of the rule of survival with another creatively used sample. “Putiton” jauntily talks about living in luxury because he used to be broke while “Grey Anatomy” makes hypertrap a secondary influence telling his brothers to keep going. Regarding the closer, “Say It Say It” samples rock music to vent about giving her enough & her acting like it ain’t a thing.

Some were keeping their fingers crossed when Rollinthrax got his own track on Xavier Anthony’s debut compilation The XA Tape this past Super Bowl Weekend of him finally getting himself back out there & B4 makes his return 30 months following his debut for a comeback recapturing the sounds of trap along with rage & cloud rap summing up what he’s been up to all this time.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!