Rico Nasty – “Lethal” review

Maryland recording artist Rico Nasty finally releasing her sophomore effort. Turning heads in 2018 off her 6th mixtape Nasty, I was still very much impressed by her unique personality & her eclecticism although it was just ok. However the next spring, she got Kenny Beats to produce her debut EP Anger Management in it’s entirety & that ended up being my favorite body of work of hers even to this day. Nightmare Vacation was a bit of a step down from Anger Management even though it has a good share of bangers like “iPhone” & “10Fo”, but Las Ruinas showed a more experimental side to her & A Nasty Summer was kinda mediocre truthfully. HVRDC0RE DR3AMZ produced by Boyz Noize showed improvement building further anticipation for Lethal approximately 12 months later.

“Who Want It?” produced by Rogét Chahayed kicks it all off with an industrial hardcore hip hop intro asking if anyone wants smoke with her whereas “Teethsucker (Yea3x)” works in elements of rap rock, trap metal, pop rap & pop punk boasting that she has pulled up to the spot. “On the Low” fuses pop rap, trap, electropop, rage, digicore & pluggnb promising she’ll keep this relationship she has on the DL leading into the bubbly “Pink” talking about her bitch’s favorite color.

Pop rap, experimental hip hop, Jersey Club rap, digicore & emo rap all collide during the final single “Butterfly Kisses” moving like a nomad making her neighbors thinking she’s selling keys while “Eat Me!” keeps the aggressive trap flares going talking about people looking up to her these days. “Soul Snatcher” boisterously runs with the paper taking guys’ souls since the head was so good, but then “Grave” darkly talks about rocking shit as if she’s ripping a guitar.

“Son of a Gun” gets back in her trap metal roots so she can advise not to run whenever she shows up & refusing to let anyone put batteries in your back while “Smoke Break” turns the heaviness up talking about fucking shit up for herself. “Crash” brings a pop punk vibe to the table looking for a place she can let off some steam much like waves while the cloudy “Can’t Win ‘Em All” asks if she’s a bad person & if it’s ever enough.

The song “Say We Did” reaches the backend of Lethal finding Rico in her sassy bag having a trick or 2 up her sleeve & becoming unsure of what this person in her life exactly wants while “You Could Never” disses those who’re trying to steal her shine & people criticizing her for being too out of the box when that’s what made many including myself pay close attention to her. “Smile” is an acoustic closer dedicated to the special someone in her life while “Pepper” starts the deluxe run reuniting with Kenny Beats to flex her new Attico boots.

“Pretea” takes inspiration from pop punk again singing about her being a diva while the cloudy trap crossover “Pearls” telling anybody who’s sittin’ down the section that they’re not gettin’ lit enough. “Black Lace” shifts towards a rage-inducing direction suggesting this bitch is late to findin’ out about her when approached regarding Rico being late to a party & the final bonus track “Stunna” boisterously talks about being a top dog.

Feeling there was an investment she needed to make in herself, Lethal further reveals every facet of Rico Nasty whether it’s the styles that made her a household name or more guitars than previously & even touching on her own motherhood journey. She taking the energy of her previous output & channels it in a very cocky way with the production drawing inspiration from rap rock, trap metal, pop rap, pop punk, industrial hip hop, hardcore hip hop, electropop, rage, experimental hip hop, Jersey Club rap, digicore & emo rap.

Score: 3.5/5

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Aminé – “13 Months of Sunshine” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Portland, Oregon rapper, singer/songwriter & music video director Aminé. Making his full-length debut in the summer of 2017 with the Republic Records-backed Good for You & fulfilling his contract with them releasing the sophomore effort Limbo during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. KAYTRAMINÉ made their eponymous debut in the summer of 2023, now joining 10K Projects to embark on 13 Months of Sunshine coming off a handful of well-received singles.

“New Flower” produced by DJ Dahi & FNZ was a funky ass intro to get the ball rollin’ talking about success being all he wants whereas “Feels So Good” takes a rawer approach instrumentally flexing that the drank & his girl got him feeling great. “Sage Time” awkwardly admits to having depression soon as he nuts dabbling with hip house just before “I Think It’s You” tropically chooses to think about everything he’s lost.

Meanwhile on “Cool About It”, we have Aminé crossing over funk & house trying to maintain his composure with this woman he wants to sleep with leading into “History” taking a shot at alternative R&B talking about the previous run-ins he’s had with his partner. “Vacay” brings back the hip house vibes expressing his desire to get away from everything for a certain amount of time while “Familiar” blends alternative R&B, hip house, deep house, glitch pop, microhouse, chillwave & French house showing obsession for his romantic interest.

“Doing the Best I Can” gets the 2nd half of 13 Months of Sunshine going by hooking up some pianos singing that he’s trying when all of us are, but then “Temptations” soulfully talks about not knowing what he has until it’s eventually taken from him. “Be Easier on Yourself” opts for a slicker approach to the best advising not to be so hard on themselves while “Raspberry Kisses” asks for a woman to take him in now they’ve sealed the deal.

The title track starts the final leg with a 2-parter refusing to put shame on his name since he was named after his grandfather while “Changer” explains he has to be at terminal 7 when his girl wants to have dinner at 7, hoping the love he has for her doesn’t change. “Arc de Triomphe”samples “Has it Come to This?” by The Streets to make this hip house/UK Garage fusion wanting to know what everyone else on & “Images” featuring 454 ends by calling days in our life moments in time.

When you take in consideration of Aminé descending from Eritrean-Ethiopian heritage, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise to many that 13 Months of Sunshine acts as an overt love letter to his African ancestry. The production shows influences of alternative R&B, hip house, deep house, glitch pop, microhouse, chillwave, French house, UK garage, speed garage & 2-step refraining from having guests join him for most of the performances to his ancestors.

Score: 4/5

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ApolloRed1 – “Midnight Blassic” review

This is the sophomore effort & Opium Records debut from Atlanta, Georgia rapper ApolloRed1. Starting out a year ago off his full-length debut The Summer I Turned Red along with his first couple EPs Villain & Vamp Diary, his last EP Tantrum a couple months ago was enough to have his blood cousin Playboi Carti make him the newest member of the Opium roster by putting out a Midnight Blassic ahead of his upcoming collaborative project YVLFN with one of the newest YSL Records artists 9 Vicious at some point.

“PBrazy” produced by Clayco & OPM BABI felt like a promising start talking about the whole squad getting brazy with it now that he got a label deal whereas “Beauty Pageant” links up with Ayelavish!to rejects the news for an accountant since he’s been stacking bread since he was young. “Georgia Boy” turns up the rage a bit courtesy of none other than F1LTHY from Working on Dying getting on his bullshit since he’s from the ATL, but then “Ready2Purge” gives off a plugg vibe suggesting people listen & learn from him.

We get back on the hypertrap vibes a bit on “Hallucinating” putting money over everything & handing out bounties by throwing out prices on muhfuckas’ heads just before “Face Tattoos” reunites with F1LTHY to continue the rage beats talking about his girl wanting Chanel when she’s flat out broke. “Gotta B” breaks down the way he feels like he has to be for 2 & a half minutes leading into “XO Tourlyfe” responds to his chick hitting his phone in the midst of him being on the road.

“Rick Addiction” kicks off the 2nd half of Midnight Blassic with him, BryceUnknwn & Clayco linking up again to publicly address his fascination for Rick Owens while “Delta” cloudily talks about his chick promising that she’ll ride with him until the very end even if she drives him crazy & Clayco sticking around. “Tom Holland” makes a witty reference to the actor who plays Spider-Man in The Walt Disney Company-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) over a Rafmade/Trgc instrumental while “Halo” skeletally calls out people who ain’t really saying shit.

To get the encore of Apollo’s debut with Opium going, “Honest” brings a bit of a robotic trap flare to the table coming clean with having too many close calls while “Chanel Shooter” talks about not needing to call any backup because of him being his own person. “Drug Love Demo 2” serves as a spiritual successor to a loosie single he put out at the beginning of February leveling up compared to the original & the closer “Back to That” finds him unwilling to be a nobody again.

Looking at all 4 of the other artists Opium has to offer, it’s not too hard for me or really anyone else familiar with them to see why they would want to bring ApolloRed1 on board as the most recent addition to the label roster since it takes the potential displayed on Tantrum & turns it up a few volumes. The trap, rage & plugg production in only 35 minutes feels more cultivated than what I’ve heard from him previously & holds the fort down by himself in an effort to elevate himself.

Score: 3.5/5

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Valee – “Egonomics” review

In front of us is the sophomore effort from Chicago, Illinois rapper Valee. Making his name known by releasing 3 mixtapes & a couple EPs from the span of 2015-2018, it wasn’t until one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye formerly known as Kanye West signed him to a joint deal with G.O.O.D. Music & Def Jam Recordings. The next 2 EPs G.O.O.D. Job, You Found Me & Runnin’ Rich helped spread plugg music to a mainstream audience despite both receiving mixed reception to the point where he would go his own way from Thersday onward. I should also mention that Valee additionally has 2 EPs with AYOCHILLMANN as the duo The TrAppiEst as well as 2 more with ChaseTheMoney as the duo VTM & 2 with Stan Laneas the duo Vlane. His full-length debut Virtuoso produced by Harry Fraud from 2023 won me over on him as did Partridge produced by Black Noi$e & the Evilgiane-produced Grey Sky London, reuniting with Harry to tackle Egonomics.

“Numerical” begins with a vocal sample & synthesizers talking about him hitting the lottery being a miracle within itself whereas “Pocket Dial” featuring Fat Money finds the 2 flexing that the money be inadvertently calling both of them. “Cut Corners” featuring Wizz Havinn mixes soul & trap observing everyone who’s taking shortcuts rather than taking the longer route, but then “Top That” featuring D.R.A.M.makes a 180° by going hyphy.

The sequel to “Miami” lives up to the original featuring Pusha T during Valee’s time on G.O.O.D. Music while “Driver’s Ed” featuring Curren$y was a great jazz rap single to start the Egonomics rollout. “Orange Drop” featuring Sir Michael Rocks & Z Money finds the trio boasting over a sample-woven beat while “LegASee” featuring Bruiser Wolf speaks on their own respective legacies. “Dividends” lastly closes up fusing rap rock & trap to break down his lifestyle.

5 months since the Great Sky London EP expanding his sound in favor of plugg & jerk, it only makes sense for Harry Fraud to come back in the picture to make a Virtuoso sequel taking everything that made it a turning point in Valee’s career & take them to higher levels. Harry’s production feels much similar than the predecessor couple summers ago except for the hyphy & rap rock undertones with more guests than last time & most of them sticking the landing.

Score: 4/5

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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 performance 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? fresh off gamma. signing a distribution deal with Tha Row.

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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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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