McKinley Dixon – “Magic, Alive!” review

McKinley Dixon is a 29 year old MC & singer from Richmond, Virginia introducing himself in the early mid-2010s off his first couple EPs Nappy Headed & Peter Truman followed by the full-length debut album Who Taught You to Hate Yourself? & The Importance of Self Belief. The spring of 2021 marked his breakthrough in the underground largely due to For My Mama & Anyone Who Look Like Her, which Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? elevated a couple summers later & his 5th LP hopes to tie up some loose ends of it’s predecessors.

“Watch My Hands” was a brief 106 second drumless intro splittin’ through seasons hopin’ all parts eventually collide whereas “Sugar Water”featuring Quelle Chris heads for a jazz rap/neo soul approach instrumentally offering their souls so they can finally have peace. “Crooked Stick” featuring Ghais Guevara takes a bit of a boom bap direction with the beat flexing their legacies are eternal despite the envious wanting to sabotage until the experimental 2-parter “Recitatif” featuring Teller Bank$ dismisses the notion of being civilians.

The sequel to “Run, Run, Run” works in some pianos & live drumming confident he’ll be celebrated when his squad step back on the street & after “We’re Outside, Rejoice!” turns the jazz rap influences back up again hoisting up the child born under the sun advising they hide all cracks in their voice when yellin’ at the sky, “All the Loved Ones (What Would We Do???)” featuring ICECOLDBISHOP & Pink Siifu is this funky, cloudy hybrid talking about their mamas beating each other’s asses if they don’t stop playin’ with ‘em.

“F.F.O.L. (Fist Full of Light)” featuring Teller Bank$ blends these woodwinds & brass usin’ the generational words of their grandfathers just before “Listen Gentle” takes pennies from his thoughts & turns it into $100K. The title track suggests you get in the whip with him because of his plan to make it so his homies stay immortal & “Could’ve Been Different” featuring Blu finishes with them staring out the window, pray their wings can hold their frame.

Magic, Alive! feels the breathtakingly concluding trilogy chapter that For My Mama & Anyone Who Look Like Her began & Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?bridged telling the story of 3 kids who lose their best friend & facing the subsequent turmoil. McKinley & his guests’ consciously abstract performances contemplate what constitutes magic in all forms meshing the sounds of jazz rap occasionally influenced by the lo-fi hip hop pioneer & one of my top 10 producers ヌジャベス, neo-soul, urban contemporary gospel, orchestral music, experimental hip hop, industrial hip hop, hardcore hip hop, rap rock, cool jazz, drumless & cloud rap.

Score: 4.5/5

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Addison Rae – “Addison” review

Addison Rae is a social media personality, singer, actress & dancer from Lafayette, Louisiana know for temporarily being a member of the Hype House collective of TikTokers for a mere 5 months. Her debut EP AR was welcomed to moderate feedback & caught the attention of Columbia Records, who signed her following an appearance on the remix of “Von Dutch” off Charli XCX’s 6th album brat last summer. Coming off a string of well-received singles however, she’s taking it further on her major label debut.

We get a heavy dosage of dance-pop during the intro “New York” singing about her affinity for the City of Dreams itself whereas “Diet Pepsi” blends contemporary R&B, alt-pop, chillstep, alternative R&B & downtempo for a lead single calling back to Lana Del Rey’s 5th album Lust for Life. “Money’s Everything” takes a complete 360 from what “Diet Pepsi” did asking taking on a more satirical tone while “Aquamarine” combines dance-pop, deep house, garage house & melodic house to sing about her transforming & realigning.

“High Fashion” after the “Lost & Found” interlude fuses alternative R&B, alt-pop, post-dubstep, chillstep, future bass & wonky preferring the luxurious lifestyle over drugs leading into the breezy “Summer Forever” singing about loving Omer Fedi so much that she forgets what’s going on. “In the Rain” kicks the synthesizers into full gear turning her tears into gold until the dance-pop, electropop, synthpop & electro house track “Fame’s a Gun” recaptures the ethos of Sheila E.’s biggest hit “The Glamorous Life”.

The song “Times Like These” uses the sounds of contemporary R&B, downtempo, trip hop, alt-pop, UK street soul & alternative R&B to sing about her life moving faster than herself while “Headphones On” after the “Life’s No Fun Through Clear Waters” interlude finishes off with a trip hop, contemporary R&B, pop, UK street soul, alternative R&B & hip hop soul single sampling “What I Am” by Edie Brickell to touch base regarding situations that cannot be resolved.

Of the 2 full-length albums we have from the Hype House so far, Addison puts Huddy’s debut Teenage Heartbreak to shame by revealing Addison Rae as the most musically talented of the bunch by cooking up a more passionately conceived LP than Alex Warren’s recent singles ahead of his own debut You’ll Be Alright, Kid next month. We get a better understanding of herself with her background as a competitive dancer bleeds all over the production pulling from alt-pop, contemporary R&B, downtempo, dance-pop, alternative R&B, electropop, pop, trip hop, UK street soul, hip hop soul, electro house, synthpop, post-dubstep, chillstep, future bass, wonky, deep house, garage house & melodic house.

Score: 4/5

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The High & Mighty – “Sound of Market” review

The High & Mighty is a duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania consisting of emcee Mr. Eon & deejay/producer DJ Mighty Mi. Signing to Rawkus Records, the Eastern Conference Records founders’ 1999 debut Home Field Advantage would become an underground classic & notably had an Eminem verse on it right when he started to become an international superstar. The Highlite Zone & The 12th Man were also well received when they came out during the first half of the 2000s, reuniting after 2 decades for their 4th album & signing a new distribution deal with Soulspazm Records in the process.

“2 Man Crew” was a gritty choice of an intro mixing hardcore hip hop & turntablism ripping it up as if the world renowned never took 20 years off whereas “Zounds” talks about his mental being unable to be fucked with as long as they’re back. “Pinky Tuskadero” featuring Kool Keith soulfully sends a message to the people all over the world just before “6ers & Squires” featuring Skillz aggressively talks about how they can’t be stopped.

Breeze Brewin’ teams with The High & Mighty on “Super Sound” heads for a boom bap direction so both parties can paint lyrical visuals together leading into “The Rose Bowl” featuring Your Old Droog hopping over a soul sample from The Alchemist talking about being pimps on a hoe stroll decked in polo. “Dubbs Up” featuring King T works in some g-funk undertones showing a boastful side to them while “Prism” featuring Large Professor & Tash cultivates from the rooftops over a cavernous boom bap beat.

After the “Mighty’s Big 5 (Live from the Palestra)” turntablism interlude, the Smut Peddlers reunite on a piano-driven instrumental during “Most In Outs” talking about never being cancelled while “I. Goldberg” featuring MC Serch & Sadat X continues to bring it hardcore over more boom bap production. “Funk ‘O’ Mart” featuring Chubb Rock dedicates itself to a record shop where DJ Tat Money once worked while “Spaceport” featuring Chill Rob G & Copywrite suggests to hide your kids when they ride the rhythm.

“Highest Degree” featuring O.C. kicks off Sound of Market’s final moments referencing former NWA World Tag Team Champions, 2-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, the inaugural 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, WWE Hall of Famers & former 18-time WWE tag team champions The Dudley Boyz while “2 High Whiteys” caps off the comeback with a blues flip heavily revolving around a line in “Acknowledge” by Masta Ace stemming from a misunderstanding that Eon & Mighty Mi had dissed Ace at one of their shows a quarter of a century ago when that wasn’t even the case. Can’t exclude the Stu Bangas joint “Be Excited” featuring Esoteric either since 7L & Esoteric have been compared to these guys.

Discovering these guys after hearing the Eminem verse on their debut as a kid, it’s so awesome to see The High & Mighty joining the likes of LL Cool J or MC Lyte to name a couple releasing some of the best music in their whole careers in the mid 2020s adds to their longevities & the Eastern Conference fans can rejoice. DJ Mighty Mi’s boom bap production still sounds great today as does Mr. Eon’s passionate hardcore performances & the guests range from O.G.s to newer underground artists.

Score: 4.5/5

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Lil Wayne – “Tha Carter VI” review

New Orleans, Louisiana emcee, singer/songwriter, record executive & entrepreneur Lil Wayne continuing one of his most beloved sagas on his 14th studio LP. Signing to Cash Money Records at the very age of 9, he would go on to become 1/2 of The B.G.’z as well as 1/4 of the Hot Boy$ & 1/6 of the Cash Money Millionaires. His first 3 solo albums Tha Block is Hot, Lights Out & 500 Degreez were average at best but we then found him improving in the mid 2000’s with Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, Dedication, Dedication 2, Da Drought 3 & my personal favorite Tha Carter III. He then started his own label Young Money Entertainment & followed his magnum opus up with a God awful “rock” album Rebirth along with the mediocre I Am Not a Human Being. He was able to bounce back in 2011 with Tha Carter IV, but things looked rough once again with the horrendous I Am Not a Human Being II in 2013 & then being entangled in legal issues with Cash Money from 2014-2018. Wayne eventually broke free from Birdman & was able to release Tha Carter V in 2018 to celebrate his 36th birthday returning to form. Funeral however was a step-down in comparison & Tha Carter VI has finally come over 5 years later.

After the “King Carter” intro, the first song “Welcome to Tha Carter” was a soulful boom bap intro eating rappers he’s already heard as if they’re appetizers whereas “Bells” samples “Rock the Bells” by LL Cool J to boast how hot he’s been on the mic for 2 decades almost. “Hip Hop” featuring Jay Jones works in a trap instrumental from Infamous & Einer Bankz with a vocal sample for a representation of the culture that I’d like more without Jay’s verse while “Sharks” featuring Big Sean & Jelly Roll finds the trio talking about snakes not always hiding in the grass over a guitar-based beat from Boi-1da.

“Banned from New Orleans” featuring Nicki Minaj on the remix gets in their dirty south bag flexing that they’re sellin’ chromes to bricks out here leading into “The Days” recalling being in a hospital bed after one of the countless epileptic seizures he’s had since childhood blending rap rock & boom bap together. “Cotton Candy” by ColleGrove interestingly fuses jazz, trap & pop rap all into 1 for a collab that’s primarily compared to most of what was on Welcome to ColleGrove even with the reference to former IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン as well as a 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions Brock Lesnar just before “Flex Up” continues with a mildly boastful cloud rap cut.

One of my least favorites easily has to be “Island Holiday” & not because of the subject matter of getting away on vacation, but rather because of the performances heavily slathered in auto-tune. “Loki’s Theme” turns up the rap rock influences courtesy of DJ Clue? of all people to my surprise talking about getting it out the mud while the acoustic “If I Played Guitar” throws it back to “How to Love” down to the sung vocals a little except not as good.

“Peanuts 2 N Elephant” links up with Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame for a spiritual successor to “6 Foot 7 Foot” featuring Cory Gunz with what sounds like a Crash Bandicoot level while “Rari” hops over a joyous trap instrumental from Wheezy talking about driving around Los Angeles in a sports car. “Maria” featuring Wyclef Jean hooks up an opera sample from the latter discussing a party girl waking up in the underworld while “Bein’ Myself” stays true to himself over a soulful Mannie Fresh beat.

The song “Mula Komin’ In” featuring Wayne’s son Lil Novi has little to no presence from Weezy F. Baby other than his verse at the backend of it although I very much appreciate what he was trying to do giving more exposure to Novi’s own music career while “Alone in the Studio with a Gun” featuring Kodak Black & MGK sticks out as the worst collab here since Young Money General washes both of the guests on it. “Written History” finishes C6 with spoken word passages from the late WWE Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali speaking on his legacy in hip hop while “Momma Don’t Worry” featuring Lil Baby advises their mothers not to stress out since they birthed real ones over an ATL Jacob instrumental.

Some will argue that him signing Drake & Nicki has tainted Wayne’s legacy considering “Big Foot” & “The Heart 6” have both been mocked equally as much as “Ghoulish”, to which I understand completely. Anyway, I went into Tha Carter VI with fingers crossed that it would reach the level of quality as Tha Carter V did 7 years ago & it makes me sad to call this the weakest installment of the series. Weezy can very much rap his ass off & I won’t deny that, my issues are more towards some of the guests & production choices.

Score: 1.5/5

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Little Simz – “Lotus” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee, singer & actress Little Simz releasing her 5th album a month after its initial date. Getting her start at the beginning of the 2010s, she would go on to drop 4 mixtapes & 10 EPs alongside all of her previous LPs. GREY Areashowed some serious artistic evolution & S.I.M.B.I. (Sometimes I Might Be Introvert) wound up being my 2021 Album of the Year, even giving a perfect 10. The follow-up No Thank You barely made it on my Best of 2022 list since it came out days after my 26th birthday, finally giving space for the Lotus to bloom.

“Thief” essentially starts off by dissing Inflo after giving her a £1.7M loan in 2023 that she has yet to pay back whereas “Flood” fuses post-punk, art punk, afro-rock, psychedelic rock & experimental hip hop asking to be kept away from Satan’s palm walking a wicked ground. “Young” was my least favorite single of them all despite the blend post-punk & new wave with dance-punk & chap hop in addition to the humorous lyrics, but then the crooning “Only” talks about about solely having love in her heart.

Neo-soul, jazz rap & pop rap collide on “Free” highlights the power of love to set people free in contrast to fear just before “Peace” strips the drums completely so she can talk about finding her peace of mind. “Hollow” keeps it drumless suggests the individual she has in mind is for the cult instead of the culture referring to gaslighting as the work of a deeply insecure person while “Lion” goes for a jazz rap vibe talking about caring less of what they say.

“Enough” warns to not make her pull the plug since she’s fed up bringing a dance vibe to the table instrumentally leading into “Blood” featuring Cashh & Wretch 32 talking about family being their armor in the muddiest of waters. The title track predicts a long night ahead if she’s gonna get high going from being in hiding to the mountains while “Lonely” talks about the loneliness she feels making 4 versions of Lotus as a result. “Blue” ends with 1 more drumless cut advising to carry on with the light at end.

One of my homies Oojadan out in New Orleans once said to me that Little Simz deserves the same amount of respect that Doechii’s getting & I can agree on it since she has a flawless album in this decade. Nevertheless, Lotus reflects the evolving artistry of the London trailblazer & showcasing life’s intricate phases through neo-soul, conscious hip hop, jazz rap, afro-funk, experimental hip hop, afrobeat, psychedelic soul, post-punk, art-punk, afro-punk, pop rap, dance-punk, chap hop & new wave.

Score: 4.5/5

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BigBabyGucci – “Internet Explorer” review

Right here is the 6th album Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci. Start in the summer of 2016 off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 19 more EPs as well as his last 5 full-lengths & a couple mixtapes along the way. When U Wake Up, When You Go to Sleep, Baby 5 & the heavily alternative ANTI have all become his strongest material of the 2020s although I can’t the same for Isolation 2.5 a month after the latter. 6 months later, he’s redeeming himself with Internet Explorer.

“Full House” experiments with this synth-trap intro talking about the crib being packed & vacant simultaneously whereas “Switch ‘Em Down” keeps the synthesizers in tact flexing that he ain’t giving fucks no more. “I Don’t Like My Conscience” industrially advises there isn’t any easy street to take when asked to go down a road he’s already traveled while “Dusse” eagerly talks about his excitement for the check hitting.

Meanwhile on “Remedy”, we have BigBabyGucci over a more glitchy instrumental to discuss being out of his mind just before “My Worst is His Best Day” talks about being in the same place as he’s been at for a while & someone he knows not getting sick of switching gangs. “Freakhoesripspeakerknockers” shouts out the freaky bitches on top of refusing to take any Ls & hoping you run from the stray bullets, but then “Bags in the Wynter” talks about a girl wanting to fuck him because her last one didn’t.

“Trap Kitchen Gucci Ramsey” was a wavy end to the first half of Internet Explorer airing out a certified geeker for talking shit & wanting a feature from him while the rage-inducing “Yea Yea” suggests he might change the weather by making it rainy with the bands he has these days. “Vendetta Music” gives off a psychedelic approach providing the soundtrack for the 17 fans he claims he has seeking vengeance while “Can’t Go Back Home” talks about not letting anyone get too close to him without tripping on anything.

Moving on from there, “Hell Yea Brother” heads for an industrial direction once again prevailing through any hate that others try to send his way while “Tryna Be Me” gets even heavier with the synths talking about the envious type wanting to follow in his footsteps. The latter half of “Tales from Houston” has an acoustic pop rap flare to it following a boastful start while the pluggy “Tainted” talks about aiming his gun at your chin.

“Stain My White Tee” draws closer to the conclusion of Internet Explorer swearing that the new girl he’s been seeing hasn’t ever met anything like him in the past flexing he’s more slicker than here & “My Mama Don’t Recognize Me” sends off the LP with 1 final synthesizer heavy cut talking about being unrecognizable to his own mother, his hard to please demeanor & getting closer to his dreams of making it.

ANTI over 6 months later was a great capitalization on his versatility since he went for a more alternative direction on there & Internet Explorer has pushed himself into an experimental route considering the industrial hip hop influences on here occasionally venturing out in favor of pop rap or plugg & a hint of rage sprinkled in. Dude really pushes his artistic boundaries on this one & I respect him greatly for that.

Score: 4.5/5

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untiljapan – “Trompe-L’oeil” review

untiljapan is a 19 year old recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia putting out 5 EPs & was featured on “light ice” off Sk8star‘s 2nd mixtape whole new meaning until his own full-length studio debut album Safe Travels established him as an up-&-comer in trap, emo rap, cloud rap, alternative R&B & neo-psychedelia. Diorvsyou most recently had untiljapan on “west” off his newest EP Paussus.99 few weeks ago, with the elusive underground trailblazer signing to Interscope Records & generating buzz surrounding a sophomore effort.

“Shoot for the Moon” was a regalia intro shouting out the people in his life who’ve shown him love & the women who took him in whereas “Yayo / White Paris” shakes it up with a 2-parter flexing that he made it snow out in France with all that white powder in the street. “More Moët” hooks up a crooning sample giving a glimpse of his $1M habits prior to “Born 2 Be Great” sampling “Bonnie & Clyde” by Tink talking about working all day.

Moving on from there, “Kiss tha Ring” works in another sample & turns up the bass to tell his girl he’s on a plane to go see her just before “Broad Day” cautions of the people around you who’ll eventually try & fuck you over in the end when you least expect it. “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” gets on some drumless rap rock shit unable to get the thought of homicide out of his head leading into “Watch Yo Back” talks about how sad it is the real players ain’t in the game no more.

“1 Helluva Drug” cacophonously gets in his breakup bag talking about an ex-girlfriend being a memory after she blocked his number while “Pyramidz” produced by Nosaint & ReidMD of Vanguard Music Group was a great cloudy trap single throwing a hint of alternative R&B in too talking about life moving fast with the squad. “Just Breathe” heavily builds itself around a harp & acoustics not showing away from sending shots to the soul if he has to while “Coast 2 Coast” talks about his colleagues being in the east & the west.

The song “Die Like This” begins the final minutes of untiljapan’s sophomore effort albeit major label debut sampling “Larabar” by Wet addressing individuals who didn’t like exactly how hot he broke out in the music scene & “Goodbye, Come Again” closes the LP with a Moses Ideka sample speeding on the highway since he’s in the fast lane along with blowing up the phone of a woman he told he loved on the verge of puttin’ him down.

“Mercedes. 2005” starts the deluxe run sampling “Indecision” by Sampha talking about having a close call & asking where he stands with a flight attendant while “Tightropes” flips “Ropes” by Scott James asking if she remembers the night he said he wouldn’t ever leave her. Clayco chops up “DNM” by Mk.gee & “enemy” by Charli XCX for my favorite bonus track “Old Vices. New Cities.” becoming my favorite 2-parter by a mile & “London Nights” samples “How Many Miles?” by Mk.gee looking for love during the evening riding around.

Often cited as one of the most promising artists in underground trap today, his major label debut elevates himself from his debut celebrating it’s 2 year anniversary this fall & catapulting himself in the same conversations as his Interscope labelmates Destroy Lonely & Nettspend. In terms of production, he completely comes into his own artistically & his feature-less performances are a testament to some of his recent guest appearances.

Score: 4/5

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Coyote – “yoteLAndia” review

Los Angeles, California duo Coyote ending the month with their 5th studio LP. Consisting of the Morales brothers LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco, they went on to gain traction in late 2022 off their debut album Thicker than Water noted for its witty punchlines & East coast influences. Their sophomore effort L.Aliens last summer quickly became their breakout project to the point where people were recommending to me & easily understood the appeal, eagerly waiting to hear yoteLAndia coming off their feature on the new Reason mixtape I Love You Again.

“Sea of Darkness” is a sample-driven boom bap opener talking about being in the end days whereas “Dodging Bullets” kinda has a Memphis influence instrumentally showing off how violent both siblings can get when necessary. “SLAng” featuring B-Real & Zoe Osama samples “Deep Cover” by Dr. Dre marking the debut of WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg breaking down the west coast lingo until “Drop Top Down” featuring Doeman & & Paul Wall dedicates itself to those in the lowriders.

Ab-Soul teams up with Coyote on the lead single “Runnin’ All Fades” hopping over a cloudy trap instrumental with some notable switch-ups talking about a blizzard going on outside while “Face Tatts” featuring Lefty Gunplay finds the quartet over some drum breaks from Jason Martin formerly known as Problem and Mike & Keys to talk about hearing everyone caught a fade. “Goon” featuring Bizarre on the remix pulls from Latin jazz at the start prior to changing in favor of some bass-licks howling at the moon together just before “L.A. Verses Everybody” featuring Sirrealist feels like it’s their city against the world.

“Run a Muck” brings the Memphis undertones back in the fold & putting a dirtier south spin on it behaving in an disruptive, uncontrollable fashion leading into “Minor Setbacks” talking about relatively small or insignificant hindrances they’ve come across in their personal lives & their music career respectively. “Best Served Cold” featuring NEMS finds the trio over a boom bap beat discussing the way they prefer to serve revenge, but then “Who Want Problems” mercilessly asks if anyone wants beef with them.

Kruk 1 appears for “Not Done Yet” bringing a bit of a Mobb vibe to the table talking about putting it down for hip hop culture with no end in sight while “Product of Immigration” profoundly tackles their upbringings in light of the mass deportations & increased discrimination towards immigrants this year. “redruM Backwards” featuring Tash keeps it dusty thanks to DJ Lethal thirsting for blood while “Barrel of a 9” gets on the gangsta rap tip maintaining a boom bap flare.

“Strike a Pose” featuring Young Drummer Boy dabbles with a nervous sound pulling up to the spot with the main goal to leave with pretty, young women stealing them from their men while “Footang” talks about chopping bricks & to be paid if you want to try the product. The sampling of Latin music suits “Ni De Aqui Ni De Aya” perfectly so they can both get some shit off their chests & “Meet the Lambs” ends with their version of “Meet the Grahams” by Kendrick Lamar.

Starting the deluxe run, “Nasty Work” kicks down the door with a boom bap instrumental talking about being shameless while the doomsday trap aesthetic ms of “Don’t Be at the Club” takes a moment to call comfortability a luxury. “California” featuring Xzibit unites for a tribute to the sunshine state while “A.M.H.S.D. (All My Homies Slang Dope)” featuring Fre$h talks about their friends moving weight.

“Fly Guys” featuring JuJu Flaco reminds me of something The Neptunes would’ve produced in the late 90s while “The Scoop” talks about the slim chances of making it out the hood because kids be flexing trigger fingers. The final bonus track “Idiocracy” properly finishes with the Morales over a drumless sample to confess they’ve been losing their optimism because of the world falling apart & adults justifying killing children.

Over 10 months since they broke out after their freestyle on The Bootleg Kev Podcast, there wasn’t any better option for LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco to capitalize on the success of their sophomore effort last summer than welcoming everyone to yoteLAndia. You still get palatable production like the predecessor whether it be boom bap, jazz rap, Mobb, nervous or trap in addition to the Yotes telling us their story & a list of guests joining them offering different perspectives in their world.

Score: 4/5

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Oddisee – “En Route” review

This is the 7th EP from Washington D.C. emcee/producer Oddisee. Getting introduced to him through his incredible 7th album & Mello Music Group debut The Good Fight a decade ago weeks before my high school graduation, I also happen to enjoy his work with Diamond District, the Odd Seasons mixtape series, his 4th EP Alwasta & The Good Fight’s successor The Iceberg. I happened to cover & Yet Still exactly a year ago feeling like it was a solid jazz rap EP, staying En Route for a follow-up.

“Tomorrow Can’t Be Borrowed” delivers streams of consciousness over some jazzy piano chords disputing the “borrowed time” notion whereas “A Rare Thing” works in a horn-tinged boom bap instrumental talking about it being uncommon to know love & couldn’t help but make me think of the increased hate speech on Twitter in the past few years. “Small Talk” heads for a funkier approach putting everyone’s better days of their career’s in the rear view mirror & “Natural Selection” ends by doing his thing with no one to save him.

Marking his return to Mello Music Group after putting out a couple projects independently, Oddisee’s follow-up to & Yet Still exactly 365 days later elevates it’s above the predecessor making music for whatever journey we as humans are heading in our lives today. His jazzy production compliments the reflection of physical, emotional & spiritual movements we may have all tying into each other conceptually for a soulful snapshot of motion & meaning.

Score: 4/5

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Daniel Son – “Baggage Claims” review

Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee Daniel Son with his 9th proper full-length album. A member of the Brown Bag Money collective, his profile began to rapidly increase in the underground off projects like the Giallo Point-produced debut mixtape The Gunners or the Futurewave-produced sophomore album Yenaldooshi. He just teamed up with Raz Fresco this spring for the spectacular collab album Northside paying homage to the roots of the Toronto hip hop scene & a few months after reuniting with Futurewave for the first time since Son Tzu & the Wav.God on Bushman Bodega last summer & the Finn-produced Hare Brained Schemes a few months later. He & Futurewave however are looking to make some Baggage Claims almost 3 weeks after Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP) founder Scott D’Amore crowned the longest reigning 2-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion & former PWG World Tag Team Champion Josh Alexander the inaugural MLP Canadian Champion and former 2-time RPW British Women’s Champion Gisele Shaw the inaugural MLP Women’s Canadian Champion.

The title track is this grisly boom bap intro assuring shit ain’t always glamorous on his end & showing everyone the progression whereas “Sweet Peppers” soulfully wastes no time whatsoever to reach the penthouse views he desires. “French River” keeps it in the basement instrumentally venting over the visions he’s had ingrained in his mind as of late just before “Euthanize” featuring al.divino refuses to stop the bread income all because of hits getting put out.

“How It Goes” suggests over a flute-tinged boom bap beat to go the way it already is nowadays cheffing up the product & serving it leading into “1973” featuring Raspy teaming up for a lullaby dedicated to everyone laying their heads in the street. “Bleed the Shark” ruggedly explains that he can catch a rat from him being all the way in the field refining his chef skills at night, but then “The Fume” featuring Bito Slime cloudily yet rawly talks about moving in rare fashion.

Meanwhile on “Cold Chicken”, we have Daniel over a drumless instrumental talking about dying for what’s his & acknowledging the old fashioned tendencies he shares while “Need More Paper” returns to the boom bap expresses the necessity of making his bread stack up continuously higher. “Baylor” kicks the horns out trying to make it known to this girl he’s seeing that all he knows is the filth while “Fly the Pigeon” featuring King Bliss gives the finger to the entire world.

al.divino comes back for the dusty “Sun Lo” talking about never peaking & making sure their competition never eats again while “Crushed Stones” hooks up a vocal flip experiencing the same shit others warned him he’d experience in the rap game. “Sweet & Sour Duck” strips the drums learning to keep his mouth closed at an early age while “Run the Shop” featuring Recognize Ali finds the duo wanting to be loved for their ambition.

The jazzy “Pin Stripe” featuring Asun Eastwood feels reminiscent of the previous collaborative efforts Psychics of Filth & Bite the Bullet promises that everything they’re saying shouldn’t be taken in a metaphorical sense by any means while “Villains” talks about pushing coke. “Regular” concludes Baggage Claims on a rawly vintage note teasing more music with Futurewave to come since they’ve been cooking normally as of late.

Commemorating the 7-year anniversary of Pressure Cooker earlier this month, the Brown Bag Money standout & his go-to producer unearth 18 outtakes that were made during those sessions & compile them into a sequel of it’s own sounding like they recorded it recently. I can very much tell that Futurewave’s boom bap production was recorded during that era, except that & Daniel Son’s pen make an exciting throwback to their dual breakthrough.

Score: 4/5

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