Chuck D – “Radio Armageddon” review

Chuck D is a 64 year old MC, songwriter & producer from Hempstead, New York notable for being the frontman of the seminal political hip hop outfit Public Enemy. In addition to that & his brief time as a co-frontman of the Prophets of Rage, he also has 5 solo efforts under his belt with my favorite being his 1996 debut Autobiography of Mistachuck under Mercury Records. Nearly 3 decades later, he’s signing to Def Jam Recordings for his 6th studio LP under his own name with very high potential considering the buildup towards it.

After the titular intro, the first song “What Rock Is” breaks the door down with a boom bap opener produced by C-Doc talking about making the needle in the ghetto stacks bleed from the left to the right whereas “Black Don’t Dead” talks about the fact black doesn’t crack even though they can surely die. “New Gens” featuring Daddy-O finally addresses hip hop’s generational gap that has been a giant elephant in the room for the past decade or so that is until we get tested to a quick “Station Break”.

“Rogue Runnin’” featuring Phill Most Chill moves forward with a chaotic 2-parter talking about ridin’ dirty for over 3 decades already just before “Is God She?” featuring 1/2 Pint & Miranda Writes ponders around the idea of our Lord & Savior being a woman mixing funk music with boom bap. After the “Station Identification” interlude, “Here We Are Heard” by The Impossebulls makes the relatable call to Make Racists Afraid Again while “Superbagg” featuring Blak Madeen talks about being stuck in their ways.

UltraMag7 joins the rhyme animal himself on “Carry On” for a hardcore rap rock banger cursing in your metaverse out of spite for anyone dumbass listening to this thinking he’s woke while “What Are We to You?” mixes politically conscious bars with some aggressive drums & more guitars thrown in the fold. “Slight Story Style Sound” featuring Donald D finds the 2 showing everyone how all 4 elements of hip hop get down & “Signing Off” featuring gangsta rap pioneer Schoolly D feels more like an outro.

Marking the return of the voice that never left, Chuck D unites both hip hop’s pioneers & newer acts who represent the current generation of the culture alike in a fearless soundtrack for the times delivering a seismic broadcast of truth, rhythm & resistance. C-Doc’s production here surpasses The Rhyme Animal’s last couple solo efforts Celebration of Ignorance & We Wreck Stadiums, bridging the gap that has been a blatantly obvious stain for quite some time to make the revolution on wax.

Score: 3.5/5

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Morgan Wallen – “I’m the Problem” review

Morgan Wallen is a 32 year old singer/songwriter from Sneedville, Tennessee putting out the full-length debut If I Know Me to mixed reception 4 years after starting out. Republic Records would sign him for the 2-disc major label debut Dangerous, moving over to the Mercury Records subsidiary in the spring of 2023 & releasing 1 Thing at a Time to prominently more negative feedback compared to both of it’s predecessor. It’s been almost 2 months since he controversially stormed off the set of the semicentennial Saturday Night Live owned by the NBC division of the Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBCUniversal originally serving as the host of that week’s episode & his 4th LP has arrived.

The title track was a mediocre contemporary country intro bashing his ex for being Ms. Never Do Wrong when Morgan himself was making racially charged comments at the beginning of 2021 whereas “I Got Better” sings about feeling like who he really is again when that hasn’t really changed. “Superman” named after the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment-owned franchise ahead of the DC Universe media franchise & shared universe beginning in a couple months was one of the better singles continuing the contemporary country direction dedicated to his son Indigo until Tate McRae appears for the cheesy country pop duet “What I Want”.

“Just in Case” gets back on the contemporary country vibes describing a situationship that later transformed into something far more captivating when I found it anything but & after an interlude, “Falling Apart” tackles the breakup theme once more singing about selling him & his ex out only for him to justifiably pay the price for it. “Skoal, Chevy & Browning” expresses his desire for somebody simple as those 3 separate things leading into “Eyes are Closed” asking his son what he sees when he sleeps at night.

It’s funny that Morgan asks his own mother what he did wrong on “Kick Myself” after asking him to get help when he’s a documented racist, ignored CDC guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic & got arrested last spring for throwing a chair off the roof of Eric Church’s newly-opened Nashville bar Chief’s while “20 Cigarettes” sings about a girl telling him what her hometown is like. Another highlight would be “TN” expressing his love for the state that made him & “Missing” suggests he might miss the woman he wants missin’ him.

“Where’d That Girl Go?” sings about an ex who he feels has a long way from a bad good riddance wanting to know what happened to the old her while “Genesis” makes a corny comparison of how Jack Daniels & Jim Beam didn’t know him from Adam & Eve regardless of the subject matter revolving around temptation. “Revelation” sings about being a hard one to love since it runs in my blood when he acts like a jackass, but then “#3 & #7” featuring Eric Church himself feels like a cautionary tale centered around drinking & driving.

Spite reveals itself even more on “Kiss Her in Front of You” taking him at a girl that he used to date for walking out on him & making out in front of his new partner as a “fuck you” to his previous one while the trite “If You Were Mine” sings about wanting to lay her down & take his time giving her the pipe. “Don’t We” reaffirms the small-town values, tradition & simplicity even if that way of life isn’t for everyone prior to “Come Back as a Redneck” featuring HARDY teaming up for a horrible bro-country collab.

“Love Somebody” feels ironic since the topic of wanting to find a genuine connection with a woman in a world full of fleeting, shallow relationships appropriating Latin influences while “Dark ‘Til Daylight” finds him singing about feeling composed during the day & his mindset spiraling during the evening. “The Dealer” featuring ERNEST looks back on the days they could’ve folded & finding 1 more card to play while “Leavin’s the Least I Could Do” unloads more melodramatic breakup bullshit onto the table.

As for “Jack & Jill”, we have Morgan giving his own take on the classic fairytale except they both wind up on 1 in Tennessee while “I Ain’t Comin’ Back” featuring Post Malone gets even more over the top with the heartbreak than I would’ve expected from both of them. “Nothin’ Left” acoustically sings about lonely nights coming his way because of him fucking up another relationship while “Drinking ‘Til It Does” tries drowning in a river full of whiskey.

“Smile” tries & fails at mixing folk with singer/songwriter reflecting on a love that has since grown cold while “Working Man’s Song” tackily sings about how tryin’ to make a livin’ isn’t supposed to feel like dyin’. “Whiskey in Reverse” points out the empty Jack Daniels bottle by his coffee cup doing more damage than it did any good while “Crazy Eyes” admitting that his girl’s eyes have some kinda power over him sleeping for only 10 hours in the span of 3 days.

Finally kicking off the last leg of I’m the Problem, the song “L.A. Night” not to be confused with former 2-time WWE United States Champion, TNA World Champion, TNA World Tag Team Champion, NWA World Tag Team Champion & アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン L.A. Knight (Yeah!) talks about being a country boy in the middle of the west coast while “Miami” desecrates “Miami, My Amy” by Keith Whitley shamelessly. “Lies Lies Lies” was an average country pop single singing about still being a fool for the same ol’ fibs he falls for & “I’m a Little Crazy” closes by showing some self-awareness.

I personally find it unfortunate that the only country album that Mercury has put out since being revived in 2022 would be Johnny Cash’s most recent posthumous offering Songwriter & the material on there was 3 decades old. Primarily because I’m the Problem feels a lot like 1 Thing at a Time where it’s completely bloated with more misses & hits. He focuses less on country pop than he did on the predecessor favoring a contemporary sound altogether.

Score: 1.5/5

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Snoop Dogg – “Iz It a Crime?” review

Here we have the 21st studio LP from Long Beach emcee, songwriter, media personality, actor, entrepreneur, record executive & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg. His 1993 debut Doggystyle produced his mentor Dr. Dre is widely regarded as a west coast essential, but his output since has been hit or miss whether it be Tha Last Meal & Tha Blue Carpet Treatment almost reaching the same caliber of his debut or Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told & Bible of Love falling flat on their faces. He purchased Death Row Records from MNRK Music Group days ahead of the Super Bowl LVI halftime person hence why he’s B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row) since. Missionary last winter drew mixed reception because of some delusional fans expecting it to be another Doggystyle, coming off the Altar Call compilation to ask Iz It a Crime?.

After the intro, the title track featuring October London on the hook samples “Is It a Crime?” by Sade asking how many out there are still living by the code whereas “Joy” crosses over soul & boom bap to talk about it being that time for him to fuck up the streets making a feast out of the crumbs he was given. “Unsung Heroes” works in some cool organ melodies responding to people criticizing him for his half hour DJ Snoopadelic set at the Crypto Ball in January when even I myself found that odd due to the video he shared on Instagram in 2017, but then “Sophisticated Crippin’” sampling Marvin Gaye courtesy of DJ Battlecat talking about his 3+ decade legacy.

“Can’t Wait” featuring LaRussell finds the pair linking up so they can get shit poppin’ together over a g-funk instrumental from Nottz just before “Can’t Get Enough” featuring Jane Handcock cooks up a smooth R&B & west coast hip hop duet portraying 2 lovers who’re quite obsessed with being in each other’s company. “Keep It Moving” brings the g-funk vibes back in the fold thanks to Rick Rock talking about never stop pushin’ leading into “Just the Way It Iz” featuring Wiz Khalifa teaming up on top of a moody Soopafly beat to not change shit in their lives.

Akeem Ali easily delivers the worst feature on the entire album during “You Want My All” kinda sounding like a Lil Wayne knockoff when I’m sure Uncle Snoop could’ve easily got Weezy himself on there if he wanted to while Charlie Bereal takes a shot at g-funk behind the boards on “What’s Hattnin’?” giving a shoutout to everyone who’s been with Tha Doggfather from the very jump. “Spot” reunites with Pharrell for a pop rap joint reminiscent of “Beautiful”or “Perfect” with a modern twist & “ShutYoBitchAssUp” disses Suge Knight.

“Cold Summer” switches it up with a synth-pop cut & the vocal performances predominantly sung by it’s own producer mR. pOrTeR formerly of D12 while “Snoop Will Make You Dance” returns to a g-funk direction for a good old fashioned west coast party anthem. “Life’s Journey” feels like a bit of a response to his daughter Chocc fresh off dropping her debut EP Journals to Johnny last winter & becoming a mother a few months ago while “Me N O.G. Snoop” featuring Sexyy Red still remaining one of the most polarizing, controversial & popular artists in hip hop today talks about their ties to the Crips & the Bloods respectively.

Getting the final leg of Iz It a Crime? started, “Let Me Love You” heads for a bit of a delicate boom bap approach instrumentally for a tribute to his wife of almost 3 decades Shante Taylor while “West Up” slides through with a g-funk love letter to the west coast asking why the fuck should he retire when the west justifiably dominated the previous year. “My Friend” featuring mR. pOrTeR unites both of them for a passionate remembrance of Snoop’s cousin Darryl Daniel passing away 10 months ago & “Live Life” ends by talking about his only advice being to love yourself getting what’s yours.

Uncle Snoop here’s trying to understand if it’s a felony for him to do the things he’s done, to take care of people, to love them & to be there for them due some of the things that he’s done & becoming speculation. My response to those questions is absolutely not, although many including myself found it hypocritical for him to post said IG video 8 years ago with the “Lavender 2” music video literally months later only to do that Crypto Ball DJ set. Iz It a Crime? top to bottom however feels reminiscent of B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row) due to the way both albums feel heavily inspired by the older days in career from gangsta rap to boom bap, g-funk & pop rap.

Score: 3.5/5

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Kali Uchis – “Sincerely,” review

Alexandria, Virginia singer/songwriter Kali Uchis making her Capitol Records debut with her 5th studio LP. My introduction to her was my senior year of high school when Tyler, The Creator set to make his theatrical debut in the upcoming A24 Films sports adventure comedy-drama Marty Supreme with Timothée Chalamet this Christmas produced “Call Me” on her first EP Por Vida & isola†ion went on to become a stellar debut album. She even has a couple Latin pop projects under her belt with the Interscope Records-backed Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞ & her final Geffen Records offering Orquídeas, picking up where her Geffen debut Red Moon in Venus left off by basing Sincerely, on a life-altering event.

“Heaven’s a Home” from a songwriting standpoint brings everything full circle from when Hardstone Records founder & Cactus Jack Records signee Don Toliver got her pregnant with their son & her mom being diagnosed with lung cancer tragically passing away recently over delicate instrumentation whereas “Sugar! Honey! Love!” takes the psychedelic soul route singing about doing time for a crime she didn’t even commit. “Lose My Cool,” delivers a 2-parter addressing an individual who makes her lose her temper around them while “It’s Just Us” warmly assures that Don & her were meant to be in love.

The concept of love to a gun on “For: You” feels a lot like “A Boy is a Gun” off IGOR going for a synth-heavy sound leading into the self-produced “Silk Lingere,” finds her trying to figure how this person she knew falling for someone who turned out to be more complicated & flawed than expected . “Territorial” sings never being the type to want someone else’s man regardless of how reckless she may come off prior to Fall Apart,” wanting to know if Donny Womack would still love her with things get difficult & being in an eternal honeymoon with one another.

“All I Can Say” finds herself refusing to apologize for the kind of person she is because of everything belonging to her while “Daggers!” sings about hating the way this woman in her life is being treated by her man wishing that she could see herself the way at Kali sees her. “Angels All Around Me…” unravels a religious side to herself praying that the family she & Don Toliver have started stay peacefully protected while “Breeze” hooks up some choir vocals singing about the familiar emotions of fear & worrying hold absolutely no worth in our lives from what she’s learned.

The lead single “Sunshine & Rain” was one that brought together neo-soul, contemporary R&B psychedelic soul & bedroom pop staying devoted to Don through life’s ups & downs expressing her belief in karma & divine guidance while questioning society losing it’s way with me attributing that to this past election 6 months ago & “I.L.Y.S.M.I.H. (I Love You So Much It Hurts)” ends with a soft rock, pop soul, adult contemporary, brill building & psychedelic soul dedication to her son conceived only hours after she brought him into this world.

“Cry About It!” featuring Ravyn Lenae starts the deluxe run with a poppy, bilingual smooth soul single with a hint of brill building to it mocking Don’s ex-girlfriend while “Whispers of the Wind…” asks if he loves her with all of his heart. “Pretty Promises,” featuring Mariah the Scientist produced by benny blanco & Cashmere Cat finds the 2 pleading their partners to not break any promises to them & after “Cherry on Top” sings about finding a relationship where they can be their true selves, the final bonus track “All of the Good” finishes with 1 last tribute to her mom.

Kali’s official Capitol debut marks as her strongest since her debut 7 years ago facing the complexities of life head on trying to find joy in life despite the world falling apart in front of us, appreciating every moment & not taking life for granted expanding beyond contemporary R&B in favor of pop soul, smooth soul, neo-soul, psychedelic soul, bedroom pop, adult contemporary & brill building. Becoming a mother has easily resulted in her most existentially honest body of work & am curious as to the way her next Latin pop album goes.

Score: 4.5/5

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Action Figure 973 – “DOOM Was Right” review

This is the full-length debut studio album from Belleville, New Jersey emcee/producer Action Figure 973. Somebody whose growing discography comprised of a couple mixtapes & 7 EPs has been steadily making waves in the underground for a few years already, most notably Dark Side of the Ring & it’s sequel. Signing to Bars Over B.S. Records not too long ago, he’s paying tribute to one of my all-time favorites MF DOOM throughout the duration of DOOM Was Right.

WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 9-time WWE tag team champion, 8-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, The Crash’s inaugural Pesocompleto Campeon & アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン Rey Mysterio gets referenced on the intro “Take Me to Your Leader” as does former 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, FTW Champion, ECW World Television Champion, 3 time ECW World Tag Team Champion, JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン & the longest reigning XPW World Heavyweight Champion Sabu.

“Operation: Doomsday” gives off a jazzier boom bap direction instrumentally referencing former 2-time CWA Heavyweight Champion, 2-time CWA World Tag Team Champion, 2-time SMW Heavyweight Champion & WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler alongside WWE Hall of Famer & AEW’s senior advisor Jim Ross but after “Echelon” dustily talks about not being on the same time as these other lames, the uncannily slow “Nanlib” 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.

The infamous fingerpoke of doom spot between the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, Real American Beer founder & Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF) co-founder Hulk Hogan and 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 5-time WWE world champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash gets referenced on “Nanlib” leading into the soulful “Puerto Rican Wrestling” talking about his rich history.

“Mmm…Food” strips the drums completely so he can talk about going into business for himself while “Madvillainy” featuring Vega7 the Ronin references both the inaugural WWE Universal Champion, former 2-time NXT Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 6-time IWGPジュニアタッグチャンピオン & RPW British Cruiserweight Champion Finn Bálor as well as former 3-time WWE tag team champions The Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection & former 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion Maven.

Bloo Azul joins Action Figure on “Rae’s Killa Tape” referencing former 14-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE United States Champion Randy Orton alongside WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger while EricTheRed13 gets his own drumless track with “DOOM Tattoo”. The song “Romantic Comedy” chops up a soul sample to talk about the happiness in his brain prior to “Latin Porn in the 90’s” finishing up by telling us what this woman he’s currently seeing makes him feel.

Coinciding with the current 17-time WWE world champion John Cena’s first defense of his final reign at Backlash XX tomorrow, Action Figure takes a good 35 minutes of DOOM Was Right to show his appreciation for the late Viktor Vaughn’s philosophy of presenting music for what it really is & the luchador’s dexterity gets fully realized in the process. His boom bap production is at it’s most detailed since the UFO Over City Music & the heavy wrestling nods are enough to satisfy Griselda fans who haven’t been too big on their most recent output.

Score: 4/5

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Lefty Gunplay – “Can’t Get Right” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Baldwin Park’s hottest artist currently Lefty Gunplay entirely produced by Compton, California emcee/producer Jason Martin formerly known as Problem. One of whom has been putting it down for the west coast for nearly 2 decades & the other has been blowing up since last summer later appearing on Kendrick Lamar’s 6th album GNX already 6 months ago. After putting out a few singles, Jason & Lefty are teaming up on Can’t Get Right.

“Lord Forgive Me” produced by Scott Storch & Jason fuses west coast trap & gospel music asking why these éses ain’t out yet here without no gun homaging the iconic Boogie Down Productions song “9mm Go Bang” during the hook whereas the title track produced by Mike & Keys and Sndtrak lets everyone know exactly how he got his stage name. “Scary Movie” takes a bit of a nervous vibe talking about the streets making him realizing. Shit out here ain’t as scary as he thought he would be just before “Gangsters Get Scared” featuring Cactus Jack Records’ newest signee Wallie the Sensei & YS talks bout even the realest of G’s taking on fear.

Meanwhile on “Heavens Above (My Angel)”, we have Lefty talking about being pussywhipped to the point where he’ll start listening good & he God sending him angels from above the pearly gates of Heaven to watch him & “Hotel Party” lives up to its name from its horn-heavy beat to the celebratory lyricism partying in his hotel room. “Menace” featuring The Game finds the 2 talking about they way both of them having become to being threats to the societies that raise them while “Cracks in the Ceilings” talks about sitting in the country jail counting the amount of cracks that’re present on the roof.

After the “Tales from the Schu” interlude, “123456” featuring RJmrLA turns the traffic music influences all way the up so both of them can talk about the hustle being hereditary while “1 Day at a Time” featuring Ty$ talks about every single one of us tryna figuring it out taking it day-by-day. “Grey Goose” featuring Kiing Khash & Osbe Chill unites the trio over a Terrace Martin beat trying to become billionaires while “Me, My Gun & You” featuring Storm DeBarge talks about it only those 3 things in the end. After the “It’s Time” interlude, the closer “Through the Fire” ends with a soulful flare claiming the rap game revolves around redemption.

My introduction to Lefty was his feature on Coyote’s breakout sophomore effort last summer L.Aliens & roughly 10 months later, Jason taps in with him to fully produce what could very well be the strongest body of work in his discography yet. The production is a lot stronger than what Lefty has put out previously & aside from a few guests not sticking the landing in terms of their performances, you can very much tell that he was locked in laser-focused by the way his pen has been sharpened.

Score: 4/5

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Alla Xul Elu – “Gods of Evil Rise” review

It’s finally here! The 6th studio LP from Ohio horrorcore trio Alla Xul Elu. Consisting of Billy Obeyas well as Joey Black & Lee Carver, they broke out a decade ago as a duo by releasing their first 2 albums Head of Horns & Sci-Co that same year. This was followed up with their 4/20-themed debut EP Necronomichron in 2017 & adding Carver into the fold shortly after, but it wasn’t until Twiztid signed them to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2018 when the Xul Boys’ music got increasingly better. Their MNE debut The Almighty is unquestionably the greatest horrorcore album of the 2010s, their 2019 sophomore EP Church of Xul took a much darker approach, Mauxuleum made it in the top 10 of my Best Releases of 2020 list despite them ditching their signature boom bap sound for a more industrial, trap metal direction & Necronomichron 2: Dead by Bong was a superior sequel to their 4/20 EP. The Magic Xul Bus was a dope prelude to a body of work that’s been a long time & Mike E. Clark has finally teamed up with them to watch the Gods of Evil Rise.

After the intro, the first song “Paint the Town Red” is this rap rock intro talking about leaving 36 muhfuckas dead in their city whereas the 2nd & final single “Horns Over Halos” references 2-time 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 and NXT commentator, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T.

“The Cleansing” infernally talks about the sky being cracked in half with absolutely nothing we can do about it whatsoever prior to the lead single “‘Till We Meat” wickedly gets in their storytelling bag discussing the names of the people they’ve killed looking at the Tinder app. “Light Up My Life” describes the feeling of being trapped in one’s own skin as a prisoner & hiding in another’s playing the songs they liked while “Let It Burn” calls out the hypocrisies of the churches.

As for “Suicide Drive”, we have Xul menacingly talking about commuting vehicular suicide since the death mobile needs a ride & they can be caught at a high speed just before “God Damaged” turns up the rap rock influences suggesting this being unavoidable & enjoy it sitting back. “Make Believe” talks about the possibility of the trio never making it to heaven & I can relate to that theme personally when I’m at my lowest, but then “Spill Your Guts” feels more like a skit.

“Herd the Horde” fuses g-funk, horrorcore & boom bap together asking what you’re praying for & to sign your life away while “The Saints” talks about the only guideline in the shadow of death being all life remaining forbidden along with raising the murder rates. “From the Heart” makes a dedication to the lost & lonely ones assuring they’re not alone whatsoever surviving amongst their better judgments & “Wave Goodbye” serves as this humorous skit used as an outro.

Being in the works for several years at this point & many thought it wouldn’t ever see the day, it lived up to my expectations reaching the bar The Almighty had set 7 years ago with another generational horrorcore classic & their final MNE release to focus on continually building LLE as it’s own thing. Mike E. Clark’s production top to bottom is still as creative when working with Psychopathic Records founders Insane Clown Posse & Top Dog Records founder Kid Rock’s, bringing Xul’s well-crafted horrorcore lyrics to life soundtracking it.

Score: 4.5/5

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billy woods – “GOLLIWOG” review

Washington, D.C.’s very own billy woods making his Rhymesayers Entertainment debut with his 13th studio LP. Whether you know him for teaming up with Elucid as the duo Armand Hammer or his own solo output like History Will Absolve Me & Dour Candy, there’s no denying that he’s been steadily holding it down for the abstract hip hop scene for a minute. 3 years following the Preservation-produced Aethiopes from top to bottom, Rhymesayers has brought him on board for GOLLIWOG.

“Jumpscare” produced by Steel Tipped Dove strips the drums to start us off likening himself to a rag doll playing dead whereas “Star87” turns up the psychedelic vibes thanks to Conductor Williams talking about his phone ringing off the hook tryna find the bodies he hid. “Misery” heavily bases itself around the 1990 film of the same name conceptually with Kenny Segal reuniting behind the boards for him just before “BLK XMAS” featuring Brusier Wolf might hurt R.A.P. Ferreira’s feelings since Sadhugold was involved due to the ongoing beef.

Meanwhile on “Waterproof Mascara”, we have Preservation & Billy throwing it back to the Aethiopes days leading into “Counterclockwise” linking up with one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist for my favorite song here airing out a serpent moving in the opposite direction of him. “Corinthians” featuring Despot brings the pair together to spit streams of consciousness over an El-P beat, but then “Pitchforks & Halos” finds himself where all the time has gone & idiots thinking he was simply rhyming at the last second.

“All These Worlds Are Yours” by Armand Hammer turns up the abstract lyrics over a DJ Haram instrumental while “Maquiladoras” featuring al.divino gets the 2nd half of Golliwog going talking about time always being on their side. “A Doll Fulla Pins” featuring Yolanda Watson likening herself to a doll with a bunch of pins in it while “Golgotha” keeps Messiah Musik in the fold reflecting on a woman he once loved now coming to terms that it was only a fling looking back at it.

Ant from Atmosphere brings a piano-heavy flare to “Cold Sweat” poking fun at the Pistons picking Darko Miličić over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh & Dwyane Wade until the conscious lyricism continues during “BLK ZMBY” explaining it’s because of him being very experienced in there being not that many things he doesn’t know from what he understands. “Make No Mistake” hides everything in the rhymes hence why everything needs to be dark when he’s on stage while “Born Alone” breaks down feeling lonely throughout life

The last 2 songs on billy’s official Rhymesayers debut Golliwog are both performed by Armand Hammer using “Lead Paint Test” featuring Cavalier using their childhood homes as a representation of a space haunted by the past & “Dislocated” finishes up the album with both members without any other guest talking about trying to not be found or simply going off the radar completely.

Aethiopes for a few years now has quickly become my favorite billy woods album & his official debut under Rhymesayers Entertainment has already surpassed it similarly to Elucid’s own Fat Possum Records debut Revelator last fall. His conceptually abstract, political/conscious & horror-inspired lyrics are taken from the doll Florence Kate Upton had created centuries earlier & the creatively experimental production points signs towards secondary influences of jazz rap, drumless & sound collage.

Score: 4.5/5

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Brandon Woody – “For the Love of It All” review

Brandon Woody is a 26 year old trumpeter from Baltimore, Maryland who picked up the instrument for the very first time when he was only 7. Once he graduated from high school over a decade later, he would go on to study under the mentorship of Ambrose Akinmusire & recently signed to the greatest jazz label of all time Blue Note Records this past fall. Almost 6 months to the day, he’s finally ready to make a wider introduction to the world as a composer with his full-length debut studio album.

“Never Gonna Run Away” begins with a jazzy gospel intro clocking in at almost 7 minutes thematically paying tribute to the concept of faith & after “Beyond the Reach of Our Eyes” embraces a more unconventional structuring after being inspired by feeling the movement an unseen energy, “Wisdom; Terrace on St. Paul St.” reflects on hitting rock bottom when dropping out of college.

The composition “Perseverance” starts the 2nd half of For the Love of It All with what could possibly be the finest example of Brandon’s synergetic chemistry with pianist Troy Lon & after “We, Ota Benga” remembers the Mbuti man who was featured in an exhibit at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the closer “Real Love” officially sends off the LP with 1 last post-bop jam inspired by trumpeter & pianist’s bond.

Wrapping the collective intensity of early ’70s post-bop into pieces that feel both driving & remarkably smooth, Brandon Woody’s debut positions himself as both an innovator & a griot balancing technical mastery with a reverence for his roots. Surging with love as an elemental force channeled through sound, it’s his insistent statement that survival is it’s own form of artistry powered by the knowledge of love in all its dimensions binding us across generations.

Score: 4/5

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Knowledge the Pirate – “The Round Table” review

This is the 6th studio LP from New York emcee Knowledge the Pirate. Discovered by Will Smith’s former bodyguard Charlie Mack, he would sign to Interscope Records for a brief amount of time before leaving the game temporarily & re-emerging in the 2010s as a close Roc Marciano affiliate. His full-length debut Flintlock eventually saw the light of day in the summer of 2018, which was followed up with the sophomore effort Black Cesar as well as the debut EP Family Jewels & his 3rd album Hidden Treasures. My favorite in his discography would be the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced Wolves Don’t Eat With Shepherds & having Marci producing The Round Table raised the stacks exponentially coming off of 5lbs of Pressure.

“Eating Etiquette” was a great drumless single to start the rollout giving the ultimate fine dining experience whereas “Golden Rules” works in a boom bap instrumental with a prominent vocal sample talking about trying to keep his team together. “Takes a 10” has a significantly funkier vibe telling us what it was like for him in the grittiest parts of the City of Dreams leading into “The Outfit” stripping the drums again to talk about keeping the flame on the stove.

As for “Magic & Kareem”, we have Knowledge comparing him & Marc to Los Angeles Lakers icons Magic Johnson & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar respectively continuing the pitched sampling just before “Addicted to Danger” maintains a drumless flare altogether so he can talk about his devotion to peril. “Ride wit a P” slickly describes himself as a pimp stealing everyone’s girl in his car while the chipmunk soul infused “Food for Thought” talks about playing.

“Forks & Knives” hooks up a dope gospel flip making way for him & his crew sitting at The Round Table chopping up birds protecting & serving when it comes to the paper, but then the soulful “Gut Feeling” advises that you can’t love every bitch you fuck. “1 on Me” has this quirky synthesizer behind him taking over all the open spots on the block while “Young Thugs” cautions not to talk with your mouth full around him.

The song “Servitude” pushes towards the last several minutes of Knowledge’s best friend work on almost 3 years getting back on the chipmunk soul tip going federal with the love if it’s a crime hittin’ us with a significantly calmer flow & “Receipts” ends album with a crooning sample mixed with some strings talking about the fact that nobody wants smoke with him or the rest of the illustrious pimpire.

Many hardcore Roc Marciano fans, including myself have been waiting a very long time for this day to come and now that it’s finally here it’s very much safe to say The Round Table joins Wolves Don’t Eat with Shepherds as some of Knowledge the Pirate’s strongest material in addition to one of my LPs of the year. Marci’s production here is prominently drumless with the exception of boom bap & chipmunk soul being secondary influences outstandingly soundtracking Knowledge’s mafioso lyrics.

Score: 4.5/5

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