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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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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UFO Fev – “Pyramid Schemes” review

This gotta be the 11th studio LP from Harlem, New York emcee UFO Fev. Coming up a little over a decade ago off his full-length debut Around My Way, it wasn’t until 2020 when he saw his biggest year yet by dropping not 1 but 3 well received projects: the Statik Selektah-produced sophomore effort eFresh Air along with the Termanology-produced debut EP From El Barrio, With Love & the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd album The Ghost of Albizu. This was all followed up with Magnum Opus along with the Vanderslice-produced Enigma of Dalí & 4 EPs: The Most High, Prayer, Weed & Music, E Pluribus Unum, Sunsets in the Ghetto & of course the Finn-produced Blood on the Bills. Last time I covered Fev was last summer when Fredro Starr fully produced Strapped & Vansleazy coming back for Pyramid Schemes was a thrilling surprise.

After the intro, the first song “Snake Charmer” is a jazzy hardcore hip hop opener talking about his lane being him fusing street knowledge with the drug game whereas “Dynamite” featuring NEMS crosses over rap rock & boom bap boasting that they feel like $1B each. “Razor Keys” hooks up some prominent pianos talking about eating all these wack rappers for dinner retiring from pushing dope to rap until “Momotoro” gets back on the rap rock vibe refusing to dumb it down.

“Stunt Squad” featuring Red Inf could’ve been recorded around the same time as their Vanderslice-produced collaborative effort Chemistry last spring although it’s still hardbody & after the “Never Heard of You” skit, “Blue Face Hunnids” brings the keys back in the fold talking about times where he feels like he could’ve been greater. “Hit List” takes a soulful approach quenching for blood while “Money Man Jr.” featuring FLZY finds them exceeding & expanding.

The penultimate song “No Grant Hills” returns to the boom bap talkikg about grinding to the point where he hasn’t even slept in days constantly trapping out the Airbnb & prior to the outro, the closer “Free Sam Bankman” calls for the freedom of FTX CEO & Alameda Research co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried a.k.a. SBF after he was sentenced to 25 years for 2 counts of wire fraud, 2 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud & conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Even if 1,000 Yard Stare produced by Body Bag Ben slipped through the cracks a little over a month ago & I didn’t make the time to cover it, I still thought it was a great way for him to start his 2025 & now he takes it to a new level with Pyramid Schemes. For the people BY the people, it’s guest list is stronger than that & Painting Houses 2 combined with Vanderslice’s gritty production pulling from boom bap & jazz rap to rap rock.

Score: 4.5/5

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Lael Neale – “Altogether Stranger” review

Orange, Virginia singer/songwriter Lael Neale with her 4th studio LP. Starting out a decade ago by pouring our her indie folk & alt-country debut I’ll Be Your Man, she subsequently signed to Sub Pop Records for her sophomore effort Acquainted with Night focused more on minimal synth, bedroom pop, contemporary folk, dream pop and hypnagogic pop & Star Eaters Delight expanding in favor of twee pop, chamber pop, ambient pop, neo-psychedelia and ethereal wave respectively. 2 years later & she’s returning for Altogether Stranger.

“Wild Flower” hooks up some claps & an organ to start singing about eating her words & wasting away whereas “All Good Things Will Come Pass” strips it back to an electric guitar acknowledging the inevitable demise of everything. “Down on the Freeway” was solid indie pop single asking if you’re gonna follow & if anyone would miss her wanting out of the city, but then the piano-driven “Sleep Through the Long Night” wanting what she can’t find.

The organs come back in the fold for “Come On” explaining a bell that never rang will claim to call the new day in just before “Tell Me How to Be Here” fuses singer/songwriter, indie folk & bedroom pop painting a stark & haunting portrait of her Los Angeles return. “New Ages” tackles the concept of lust over electric guitars & organs clashing while “All is Never Lost” minimally sings about there always being a wheel that turning us, which leads into “There From Here” finishing with more minimalism breaking down a purgatory we pay for.

Lael’s 3rd offering under Sub Pop covers an unexpected breadth of musical & lyrical terrain like neo-psychedelia, art pop, indie pop, singer/songwriter, indie folk, synthpop, indietronica, & minimal synth. She additionally vacillates between the questionably reconcilable states of childlike optimism & existential melancholy, uncovering the extraordinary within the mundane by tackling themes of polarity including country vs. city, humanity vs. technology & isolation vs. society.

Score: 4/5

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Hate – “Bellum Regiis” review

Hate is a blackened death metal band from Warsaw, Poland consisting of drummer Nar-Sil, lead guitarist Domin, bassist Tiermes & frontman ATF Sinner. They’ve released a total of 10 studio albums in a little over 3 decades including many lineup changes until the historic Van Nuys, California label Metal Blade Records signed them to for both Auric Gates of Veles & Rugia respectively. It’s been 3 & a half years since the latter already, reuniting for their 3rd body of work under Metal Blade & the 13th studio LP in their entire catalog as a whole.

The title track is this death metal intro calling to break the waves of the eye of doom whereas “Iphigenia” cautions of there eventually being a night when embers of evil will come your way. “The Vanguard” sticks out as the fastest & most viscerally aggressive song of the bunch basing it’s concept around King Agamemnon while “A Ghost of Lost Delight” asks for optimism in hard times although it feels longer than it should be.

After the “Rite of Triglav” interlude, “Perun Rising” gets the 2nd half of Hate’s comeback on a melodically blackened death metal vibe talking about the prominence of the Slavican supreme god of sky & war leading into “Alfa Inferi Goddess of War” gets her story told thereafter due to the name of the album being a guiding phrase during the songwriting sessions. “Prophet of Arkhen” continues to deliver further down the mythological touchstones & “Ageless Harp of Devilry” lastly sums up the whole key of work in front of us whilst shedding new light on some of the strongest themes.

Significantly more humanity focused & personal than Rugia was, Bellum Regiis marks Hate’s return with a timely aural & visual exploration of a struggle for power & everything that comes with it. They hone a modern sound rife with eerie atmosphere & depth to the point where they forge a bolder & more aggressive style than ever as well as similarities to Erebos in the character of the compositions & overall sound except this one’s being richer in style & contains more black metal elements.

Score: 4/5

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Key Glock – “Glockaveli” review

Key Glock is a 27 year old from Memphis, Tennessee whose cousin Young Dolph signed him to Paper Route Empire in 2017 after his debut mixtape Whole Lotta Errthang. He has since released 4 more tapes in addition to an EP & 3 full-lengths, the most notable being his previous LP Glockoma 2 in the spring of 2023 showing considerable improvements in his Memphis gangsta trap style. Republic Records happened to sign him a couple months ago & is ringing it in with his 4th album albeit major label debut.

“Hallelujah” crosses over trap, a gospel sample & Memphis rap talking about the amount of money he’s counting starting to make his head spin whereas the title track shrugs off any notion of slowing down putting that bread up for his baby. “Blue Devil” boastfully shows off the 2 blue diamonds he got on him just before the soulful “Made a Way” talks about fucking up & still finding a path out of the trenches.

Moving on from there, “Watch da Throne” continues the sampling of soul music warning that everyone he considers to be competition should play it safe while “Badu” talks about letting the chopper sing similarly to the neo-soul icon Erykah Badu herself & making his own rules. “She Ready” flips Teri DeSario showing a romantic side to Key Glock breaking down the way this chick be blowing up his phone, but then “No Sweat” talks about never letting anyone see him tripping.

“The Grinch” takes the throne as the finest of South Memphis continuing the legacy of his late cousin who was tragically murdered a few years ago while “Sunny Dayz” blends soul & trap once again talking about only fearing God as well as cutting throats from ear to ear. “Papercutz” goes for a more playful tone altogether simply trying to have fun out here while “Kill My Vibe” asks for these bitches not to fuck up the good mood he’s in at the moment.

As for “I’m Getting It”, we have Glock putting a hoe on pause because of her gettin’ caught up in her feelings & uppin’ the score while “Again” talks about hitting the road again in addition to promising that anyone who plays with him will wind up working on the end. “Cream Soda” returns to a Memphis edge instrumentally riding around with the sticks while “Don Dada” talks about hustling ever since he was only a toddler.

“World is Ourz” reaches the backend of Key Glock’s major label debut blending Memphis rap & plugg a little showing off the power he has while “3am in ToKEYo” was my favorite single that was teased whether it by the DJ Paul & TWhy beat or the self made lyricism talking about never needing any help after coming into this world all by himself on top of thinking his lil’ bro should become a chef with the way he cooking the opps.

WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE world champion, ECW World Television Champion, 6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 4-time & the final WWE Hardcore Champion, TNA World Champion & TNA X Division Champion Rob Van Dam gets referenced on “Money Habits” to start the deluxe run while “Going Hard” talks about killing it from the very day he was born. “All Dogs Go to Heaven” hops over a DY & Tre Pounds instrumental to call out the people who’d do literally anything for a penny while “Set in Stone” suggests to move along if you ain’t conversing with him about money.

“South Memphis Patriot” reflects upon himself for 140 seconds likening himself to the greatest QB of all-time & 7-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady while “Fashion Killa” talks about smoking the loudest of loud. “Bottega Bag” shows off the $300 he has tucked away in a bag from the Italian luxury fashion house Bottega Veneta while “Daddy’s Little Girl” links up with ATL Jacob for an ode to his daughter Rian.

Toom of Vanguard Music Group mixes a guitar & some hi-hats together for “Can’t Feel My Face” getting high until his face becomes numb while “Fabo” talks about turning your whole block into halos. “Trust Myself” confesses that he feels like he can’t even trust himself at times while “Red Shirt” talks about his pockets falling in love with the cake. The final bonus track “Fell in Luv” samples “Swangin’ & Bangin’” by E.S.G. for him to run it onto the top.

Not gonna beat around the bush & admit that it took me a while to get into Key Glock since I was more of a Dolph fan up until Glockcoma 2 began to earn the respect of many including myself. Glockaveli as far as a major label debut goes speaks volumes about Glock’s dominance & staying power in the rap game carrying on the solid reputation for carrying entire projects on his own with no features needed enhancing the gritty street-centric bars & handpicked production that made him blow.

Score: 4/5

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Devstacks – “4SOULJASONLY” review

Devstacks is a 25 year old rapper & producer from Boston, Massachusetts emerging off the Now They Know Us trilogy with the first 2 installments being EPs & the concluding chapter becoming his full-length studio debut. His 3rd EP Scriptures has proven to become his breakout project, going on to produce for the likes of Ty Fontaine to Kevin Abstract & more recently Diorvsyou the previous weekend. Starting the month of May off, Dev’s getting back on the mic for a sophomore effort.

“Shoutout Jesus Christ” puts a psychedelic spin on rage dropping braggadocio whereas “The Hills” goes for a druggier vibe aesthetically talking about buying stupid shit since he’s stupid rich now. “Soulja’s Coming” cloudily discusses being a heavyweight & geeked up at the exact same time leading into “Why U Make Thay Face?” talking about making bitches go crazy & never having a backup plan.

Everyone who thought he fell off gets clapped back on “Hate the Feeling” blending some pianos & hi-hats to make a killin’ just before “Lmk U Made It Home Ok” heads for more of a pop rap direction asking this woman to show him somethin’. “1of1” picks up from there flexing his unique style crossing over trap & regalia while “Wipe Your Nose” dismisses the supposed swagger of someone who chases hoes instead of chips.

“Thriller” turns the bass up talking about having the baddest woman right beside him & making a movie with her while “parlay” featuring Swapa contains prominent performances from the latter since Dev has a criminally underwritten verse during the middle of it. “Shaderoom” compares the way hoes speaking ill of him to the Instagram news page while “Pictures” talks about his girl wanting to catch some flicks like a photographer.

Starting the final leg, “Sport Mode” breaks down his pockets eatin’ full court & hopping out a 4-door while “To My Crib” talks about his girl knowing exactly what time it is the second she pulls up to his place. “Keep It” ends the LP by advising women to never lie to him under any circumstance homaging the “Keep It Playa” track off Pharrell’s underrated solo debut In My Mind.

Few of his recent producer landings in the past year or 2 was what made me want to listen to 4SouljasOnly & it’s different from what we’ve already heard on Scriptures & the Now They Know Us saga. The sound he goes for on this one mainly departs from the regalia style that made him so popular in favor of standard trap relating to anyone with a soulja mindset clocking at a half hour.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jimmie D – “Good Music Hypnotizes” review

This is the sophomore effort from Montréal, Québec, Canada rapper Jimmie D. Coming up off the Trout & Brussels Sprouts EP, he would later go on to put out a full-length debut alongside a mixtape & 3 more EPs all in almost a decade. A notable collaborator of his as of late would be one of my favorite producers of this current decade decade Nicholas Craven, who has decided to full produce Good Music Hypnotizes to the peaking interest of many, including myself personally.

“Notre Dame” stripped the drums to start off the album talking about having a couple close ones although he doesn’t trust anybody whereas “The Gout” featuring Tha God Fahim keeps it drumless doing this for the love instead of clout. “2 Sides” featuring Raz Fresco brings a soulful boom bap flare to the table talking about striving to win while “High Winds” featuring Koncept Jack$on boasts that they have more flow than excessive winds.

Meanwhile on “Porzingis”, we have Jimmie going for a chipmunk soul vibe lifting shit with scales as if he’s a python just before “Fallen” soulfully talks about feeling as if his people are cursed. “Commonwealth” featuring Sonnyjim continues the high quality sampling airing out everyone who’s never put in a long day’s worth of work, but then “Dead Cat Bounce” talks running shit for decades like a dictator.

“Spring” appropriately hits the backend of Good Music Hypnotizes with a drumless chipmunk soul cut in time for the current season we’re in the midst of until late next month while “Laser Focused” hooks up some cool jazz undertones feeling more concentrated than ever. “Digital Minds” featuring Juug Soe closes the LP with some horns liking themselves to art dealers the way they paint pictures.

Mainly hearing him on guest appearances spread throughout other artists’ projects, Good Music Hypnotizes has officially surpassed Good Man in being the most important offering in Jimmie’s discography because of the drumless sound he’s known for getting enhanced by Nicholas Craven & of course the local Montréal performer on the mic stepping up his pen-game.

Score: 4/5

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