B.G. – “Freedom of Speech” review

B.G. is a 44 year old rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana known for being 1/2 of The B.G.’z with Lil Wayne prior to forming the Hot Boy$ with Juvenile & Turk along with the Cash Money Millionaires supergroup with the Big Tymer$. His first 5 solo albums Chopper City, It’s All on U, It’s All on U 2, my personal favorite Chopper City in the Ghetto & Checkmate all came out on Cash Money Records until he wanted to his own label Chopper City Records. The next 5 Living Legend, Life After Cash Money, The Heart of tha Streetz, Tha Heart of tha Streetz 2: I Am What I Am & Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood would all be distributed by MNRK Music Group aside from Atlantic Records providing further distribution for the latter. He would later spend a little over a decade in prison for 2 counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm & 1 count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, returning after over 15 years for his 11th studio LP.

The title track is a guitar-driven trap intro talking about him only getting greater whereas “Rock-A-Bye-Bye” works in a vocal sample reminding us that those who’re already familiar with him know his story by now. “1st Question” featuring Birdman dabbles with the Detroit trap sound reuniting with his mentor by having the better verse while “Go Live” featuring Boosie Badazz & Juvenile brings the trio together to rep their home state.

“Thank You” profoundly thanks everyone for still standing by him after being incarcerated going through it behind bars just before “Saved My Life” gets on the Detroit trap tip again talking about how trapping is the reason that he’s still alive today. “My Hood” hooks up pianos & hi-hats to clap at all the suckas out here with no style leading into “Live from the Gutta” featuring E-40 finds the duo taking us to the trenches.

Reese Youngn’s hook on “Know Your Worth” is hilariously awful despite the average beat & the genuine message within the lyrics, but then “Been a Dog” featuring Fredo Bang is one of my least favorite collaborations on the entire album. “Real Life” makes up for it with Gizzle solemnly looking back on the way he grew up & refusing to cap as a result while “Get It Poppin’” featuring Finesse2tymes doesn’t really get it poppin’ for me all that much.

“All Nite” shows a more romantic side to the original Hot Boy to begin the final leg of Freedom of Speech keeping this woman in his mind during the evening & giving it to her all day while the song “Real as It Gets” talking about still maintaining his legitimacy even if it was ruled last summer that his future songs have to be approved by the government. “When You Come Home” featuring Fiend jazzily ends with the former No Limit Soldier teaming up with the Cash Money Millionaire.

Starting the deluxe run, “Firebomber” by The B.G.‘z featuring Busta Rhymes makes it a mission to fuck up everything in existence while “Louisianimal” comes through with an anthem to his home state. “Lost Lives” featuring Juvenile warns that no one wants to be in the jungle when it’s war time while “We in Here” takes on a more celebratory attitude. “A Long Time” looks back on his career up to this point & the final bonus track “When I” finishes with a mediocre pop rap joint.

His collaborative mixtape with Gucci Mane called Choppers & Bricks marked the first of 8 projects that the Baby Gangster had written during his time behind bars, except the 2nd albeit his first solo effort in 16 years is a tad more decent in comparison. Other than a few guests faltering with their performances & some of the production being a little spotty, it’s somewhat refreshing to hear him holding down an entire body of work by himself again & am confident he can improve with the other 6 albums he has coming down the pipe. The deluxe however improves upon itself.

Score: 3.5/5

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Curren$y – “Never Catch Us” review

Here we have the 24th studio LP from New Orleans, Louisiana rapper, songwriter & record executive Curren$y. Starting with No Limit Records in 2002, he would then hop over to Young Money Entertainment & Cash Money Records in 2006 & eventually branched out in 2008 with his own label Jet Life Recordings. The man has since made a name for himself by dropping a handful of projects every single year with my favorites including the Harry Fraud-produced Cigarette Boats, the Alchemist-produced Covert Coup, the prominently Ski Beatz produced Pilot Talk series, The Carrollton Heist, the Lex Luger produced Motivational Speech, the Statik Selektah-produced Gran Turismo & Continuance to name a small handful. Last time I covered Spitta was when he had So So Def Recordings founder Jermaine Dupri produce For Motivational Uses Only & was intrigued by the Never Catch Us singles.

“Drop Zone” couldn’t have started any classier with it’s sumptuous trap instrumental talking about turning blank pieces of paper into all kinds of things whereas “Checkpoints” works in some great vocal sampling to run up the score by selling dope & cheffing up more. “Dream Machines” featuring Premo Rice gets on some laidback jazz rap vibes talking about their lifestyles leading into “Airport Industries” featuring Wiz Khalifa dreaming of the finer things.

Conway the Machine & Rome Streetz join Spitta for “Money Magnet” embracing a boom bap flare talking about them being able to attract paper just before “Zack Morris Phone” featuring Bruiser Wolf strips the drums discussing the concept of perspective. “Duct Tape” gets back on the trap tip refusing to partner with cowards & flying with the loudest until “True Lies” featuring Babyface Ray, Styles P & 03 Greedo uniting the quartet talking about playing seriously & cool.

“No Wrinkles” featuring Fendi P hooks up these strings & hi-hats showing off their smoothness widen it comes to women while “320 Estate” featuring Dave East soulfully explains their first rule being not to speak ill of them. “All Season Long” featuring D.R.A.M. & Jay Worthy has these prominent synthesizers suggests those who lie to kick it ain’t your friends while “Encrypted Messages” psychedelically asks what you raising the top for.

The continuous themes of past fan favorites Cigarette Boats, The Stage, The Marina & The Outrunners are prevelant during the course of Never Catch Us showing the evolution of Curren$y & Harry’s chemistry for the past decade or so. Nearly every guest come correct with their verses, Spitta himself sounds focused & the production eclectically bounces between boom bap to trap & jazz rap.

Score: 4/5

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clipping. – “Death Channel Sky” review

Los Angeles, California experimental hip hop trio clipping. fronted by Daveed Diggs alongside William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes with their 5th studio LP. Emerging off their midcity mixtape in 2013, they signed Sub Pop Records shortly after & the label gave them a full-length debut the following year. However, I didn’t completely hop on board with these guys until their Deathbomb Arc debut Splendor & Misery in 2016, which is a fantastic sci-fi odyssey. They returned to Sub Pop by dropping their magnum opuses There Existed an Addiction to Blood & Visions of Bodies Being Burned. They’re returning halfway through to put out Death Channel Sky almost a week since former AEW World Champion, AEW World Tag Team Champion, the inaugural shortest-reigning 2-time AEW World Trios Champion, AJPW世界ジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, DDTエクストリームチャンピオン, KO-D無差別級チャンピオン, 3-time KO-Dタッグチャンピオン, 2-time KO-D6人タッグチャンピオン, AAA Mega Campeon, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, 2-time IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPジュニアタッグチャンピオン, the inaugural 2-time IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオン, PWG World Champion & TNA World Champion, Kenny Omega ended the current NEVER無差別級チャンピオン竹下幸之介’s reign as AEW International Champion’s at Revolution VI.

The first song “Dominator” after the intro begins by fusing hip house & industrial hip hop together to talk about being 1 of a kind whereas the 3rd single “Change the Change” takes the industrial hip hop, breakbeat hardcore, acid breaks, big beat, power noise, digital hardcore & hardcore breaks route making faces hurt with the waves they’re making. The lead single “Run It” draws inspiration from the Detroit techno scene painting a picture of a drug dealer & addict from the highs of partying to the lows of being caught, arrested or killed.

“Go” strips the drums for a brief experimental hip hop joint talking about running it down & after the “Simple Degradation (Plucks 1-13)” interlude, “Code” explores themes of digital identity along with hacking culture & futuristic survival going for a cyberpunk vibe. “Dodger” goes for a drum & bass direction talking about finding & killing a virus because time is of the essence but after the “Malleus” interlude, “Scams” featuring Tia NoMore finds her & Daveed talking about the beat continuously knocking in the back.

West coast gangsta rap, pop rap, conscious hip hop, acid house, political hip hop & boom bap all mold into 1 for the 2nd single “Keep Moving” suggesting to keep pushing dope everywhere you go while “Mood Organ” after the “From Bright Bodies” interlude bares it’s name after a fictional device in Philip K. Dick’s novels Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? & We Can Build You. “Polaroids” unearths all of these photos hidden tucked neatly in a box & hidden in a sock drawer or underneath the bed just before “Madcap” after the “Simple Degradation (Plucks 14-18)” interlude advises not to get it twisted with a businessman.

“Mirrorshades 2” featuring Cartel Madras continues the renowned cyberpunk anthology edited by Bruce Sterling since it’s a cornerstone of the genre’s aesthetic & themes while “Welcome Home Soldier” featuring Aesop Rock after the “& You Called” interlude was a great nerdcore cut with additional elements of industrial hip hop, abstract hip hop & glitch hop exploring into digital escapism & the allure of virtual worlds. “Ask What Happened” closes the LP by talking about history & future belong to the 1%.

The original “Mirrorshades” starts the deluxe run recapturing the themes of the sequel that we all got hear first earlier this spring while “Forever War” blends industrial hip hop, conscious hip hop, electronic, electro, hardcore hip hop & political hip hop talking about the way war goes. “Hard-Eyes” suggests to keep the family close & the ghosts in the closet with the safe while the final bonus track “Night of Heaven” reminds us all that the government is watching.

In contrast to their last few projects containing record-long concepts like the classic prog rock of old, Dead Channel Sky is more like a mixtape with it’s carefully curated collection of songs in which every track is a love letter to a possible present. Their industrial hip hop production expands in favor of hardcore hip hop, glitch hop, glitch music, acid techno, noise, big beat, electronic dance music, abstract hip hop, nerdcore, west coast hip hop, gangsta rap, pop rap, conscious hip hop, acid house, political hip hop, boom bap, drum & bass, hip house, breakbeat hardcore, acid breaks, power noise, digital hardcore & hardcore breaks texture-mapping the twin histories of hip hop & cyberpunk onto an alternate present.

Score: 4.5/5

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Sanhedrin – “Heat Lightning” review

Sanhedrin is a metal band Brooklyn, New York consisting of drummer Nathan Honor, guitarist/vocalist Jeremy Sosville & bassist/vocalist Erica Stoltz. Introducing themselves a decade off their full-length debut A Funeral for the World, the next couple The Poisoner & their Metal Blade Records debut in particular Lights On would increase their popularity, returning after nearly 3 years to deliver their 4th full-length studio LP & their 2nd for Metal Blade coming off a couple singles within the last few months.

“Blind Wolf” is this heavy metal opener reminiscent to that of Iron Maiden finding the Brooklyn outfit coming together to share the light whereas the title track works in some chugging guitars to sing about when the wind whips a righteous storm & the smoke blinds the sun. “Above the Law” has a bit of a punkier edge to it showing a rebellious side to Sanhedrin living in a pit full of vipers, but then “The Fight of Your Life” sings about the compulsion to play music no matter what.

To start the other half, “King of Tides” finds the trio leaving all they know behind in order for them to have better lives just before “Franklin County Lines” feels like a cross between Thin Lizzy & Motörhead taking inspiration from the surrounding area in the northern part of New York. The song “Let’s Spill Blood” reflects how fortunate the human race is that most people seek justice as opposed to revenge & after “High Threshold of Pain” angrily calls ego a death wish, “When the Will Becomes the Chain” ends with them singing that the wicked world will leave us torn.

Delivering a diverse collection of songs that wholly captures their wide array of influences with an elevated level of production, Heat Lightning is the fullest representation of the power of Sanhedrin has by handing Metal Blade their most complete offering. When you take 3 seasoned musicians with their favorite handpicked instruments & put them in front of 2 brilliant producer/engineers in a studio stacked with incredible equipment & no outside distractions, this is what you get.

Score: 4/5

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Consentrik Quartet – Self-Titled review

The Consentrik Quartet are a jazz band consisting of drummer Tom Rainey, upright bassist Chris Lightcap, tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock & guitarist Nels Cline. The latter of whom has already put out his most recent solo efforts Lovers alongside Currents, Constellations & Share the Wealth through what I consider to be the greatest jazz label of all-time: Blue Note Records. Understandably, it only makes sense for the Consentrik Quartet to come over to Blue Note to put out their official debut album as a group.

“The Returning Angel” takes inspiration from Nels’ career spanning 5-decades already with a quietly reflective intro whereas “The 23” was a highly enjoyable lead single embracing a jazz-rock sound. “Surplus” prominently shows off Nels & Ingrid’s abilities playing the guitar & tenor saxophone for a little over 5 minutes keeping the jazz-rock vibes going strong until “Slipping into Something” starts with a guitar for the first half until the drums & tenor sax both make their way in the equation for the other.

Meanwhile on “Allende”, we have the Consentrik Quartet giving off a somber mood feeling like the perfect composition that would suit a rainy day just before “House of Steam” layered some guitars on it to get extra resonance on the opening theme. “Inner Wall” begins the 2nd half of the band’s debut giving off a mysterious flare for a good chunk of it waiting during the last minute & a half or so to bring the drums to the table, but then the “Satomi” turns the nihilism up going for a darker & deliberate turn through punk & post-rock.

“The Bag” was actually written as a dedication to drummer Tom Rainey including some of my favorite instrumentation on the entire LP leading into the 2nd single “Down Close” excitingly blending the cool jazz & free improvisation subgenres together. “? (The Spot)” continues the backend of these guys’ introductory debut since the tumultuous disorientation is another moment of aggression or fervor on the entire thing & “Time of No Sirens” finishes up with a gently, emotionally deep counterpart.

By turns swinging, grooving, bracing, mesmeric & quietly stunning, the Consentrik Quartet’s spotlights the ensemble’s profound chemistry as well as Cline’s versatility as both a player & a writer with 12 evocative soundscapes. It’s a love letter to the Brooklyn improvised-music scene that he became a vital player in well over a decade ago & though he no longer lives in the borough, his allegiance to the creative musicians Brooklyn nurtures remains steadfast.

Score: 4/5

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iam3hard – “3x Harder” review

This is the 3rd full-length LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper iam3hard. Coming up in 2023 off his first couple of extended plays Down 2 Win & The Bandlab Beast, his 3rd EP Dissimilar Prevalence produced by Whyceg succeeding his full-length debut The Bandlab Bandit has become his most celebrated work & the sophomore effort WDF 3HARD followed a couple months later. Before I Sign & Willing to Die For both resulted in 3hard signing to Cegular Records, making his debut for the Sony Music imprint by going 3x Harder.

“Limo Tint” made for a decent intro talking about always making hits whenever he pops out of the penthouse whereas “Hit Hard” produced by SOULJASPIRITS & Whyceg explaining his preference for using Russian Cream Backwoods rolling papers. “Quit My Job” talks about putting bullets in the houses of anybody speaking ill of his crew just before the plugg-influenced “Slave Whippin’” flexes his cheese & he ain’t referring to the kind used to make fettuccine.

Instrumentally, things take a cloudier turn during “Purple Kool Aid” talking about knocking the toupee off Trump’s head and stilling lean in front of his niece & nephew while “Save da Trench” dark off a dark plugg vibe confessing he signed his deal in the middle of the streets. “Goku” talks about doing a muhfucka like the ドラゴンボール protagonist himself leading into “All Hats” cautioning of him flattening those who try him.

“Chowder” featuring 2sdxrt3all references the main character of the Discovery Global owned Cartoon Network series of the same name in regards to the color of the drank in their cups while “We Dem Ones” talks about his squad being the chosen few & smashing someone who ain’t paying dues. “Glockstar” talks about possibly going out getting chased by the cops like a NASCAR race while “Gnarly” suggests being so real that he has a heart made of emeralds.

The song “2025” starts off 3x Harder’s final moments with a nocturnal plugg beat talking about having the block on lockdown barring anybody from trying to buy it off him while “On Rocks” warns those wanting to run up on his squad that they carry Glocks beside them & will put ‘em 6 feet in the ground if they test ‘em. “Fear God” finishes up 3hard’s debut for Cegular by talking about he ain’t scared of anything unless it’s the higher power above, cherishing the smaller things lately.

Until this point, I’ve considered Dissimilar Prevalence to be the dare plugg gangsta rapper’s most prominent entry of iam3hard’s entire discography & his Cegular Records debut 3x Harder hits a lot heavier than everything else I’ve heard from him previously. The production mostly handled by Whyceg & SOULJASPIRITS feels like a major upgrade compared to 3hard’s earlier albums, the latter of whom makes himself comfortable besides Babystaydown & Pradabagshawty in shaping the local plugg label into something special.

Score: 4/5

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TDF – “Culture” review

TDF is a 21 year old producer from Minnesota who emerged in 2020 off his debut EP TDF & Friends and the sequel marking his full-length debut studio LP. He later followed it up with next EP EP Patient 0 as well as the sophomore effort I Love You & the final entry of the TDF & Friends trilogy, I Love You later spawning a 2nd & a 3rd installment with Religion bridging both sequels. It’s been a while since Blueprint & love4you, shaping his 9th album in front of us to be his biggest one ever.

“need some more” by Okaymar is this cloudy trap intro talking about his neck floodin’ & this bitch giving him throat whereas “been too long” by Omgkeon continues the trillwave vibes flexing that he’s stronger than ever after going through some pain. “still my patna” by ATL Smook goes for more of a plugg direction instrumentally to talk about the scammers, trappers & robbers he knows leasing into “attached” by Jojo discussing a woman who he feels can change his life.

Spoof get his own song with “bankroll” promising on his whole entire squad that he’s gonna be the one who’ll snatch your chain, but then “1 for me” by NYM Riz gets back on the plugg tip telling the specific woman he has in mind that she’s his soulmate. “numb” by Jssr samples “Novacane” by Frank Ocean nothing away from the way these good drugs got him feeling while “stamped” by 1oneam talks about already being official.

“ghetto symphony” by ohsxnta maintains a plugg edge to the beat boasting that he’s come a long way & having too much swag just before “bands gone” by Jojo, omgkeon & Spoof unites the trio on top of this crazy Angry Birds flip getting high to hide the emotions. “rave” by BenjiCold continues to bare a plugg influence talking about balling out & liking to dance with his girl while “water” by Dom Corleo warns people to stop flexing as if they meant something.

Thr33 & wildkarduno link up on the 2-parter “out of kontrol / paparazzi” telling the fuck boys they’re gonna be shot on sight along with coming out the mud as if they were pigs while “cassava leaf” by Thr33 holds the fort down by himself talking about the money being green & preaching over the instrumental. “yo lane” by wildkarduno discusses the plug being late shooting like the Los Angeles Clippers & “bta” by Smokingskul sticks out since it recaptures the dark plugg energy of what makes this duo gel greatly.

“used to be” by Smokingskul & wildkarduno delves further deep into the evil plugg sound feeling like Facebook founder & Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg as well as calling for Luigi Mangione’s freedom since they consider him a real one while “Fried” by Okaymar tones down the darkness in favor of a general plugg flare cautions that’s exactly what will happen if you even try to run up on him while “what you said” by Okaymar & 1oneam talks about not hearing what you say since they smoke loud.

Pasto Flocco delivers another standout performance with “swervo” cloudily breaking down the streets being cold & a woman wanting to kick it with him prior to “late night drinks” & face card” showcasing both Okaymar & 1oneam’s chemistry for the final time. “make it work” by ohsxnta remains optimistic of his music career sorting itself out in his favor & the closer “hope you know” by 1oneam advises that success is the loudest response to those who ever doubted you.

Skul was one of the first dark plugg artists that I got into when I started listening to the subgenre & TDF has laced some of his most popular songs, which was a reason why I gave Culture a listen & it sure enough is his most enjoyable solo effort in his discography. His production centered around plugg, dark plugg, cloud rap & trap is some of the strongest that he’s crafted with the varied list of underground trap performers laying down their unique styles stronger than previously.

Score: 4/5

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S.O.N. – “The Bastard Son” review

This is the sophomore effort albeit Long Live Evil debut from Sharon, Pennsylvania emcee S.O.N. notable for his associations with the Legion Realm & the Hivemind movement. His popularity started to grow in the summer of 2021 after releasing his debut album Grant Us Eyes & performing at the 21st annual Gathering of the Juggalos. I got to meet him after his set at the only Gathering that I’ve been to thus far & with the news of him signing to LLE couple years ago, The Bastard Son’s time has arrived.

After the “Invocation” intro, the Billy Obey-laced title track l gives praise to the beast that weeps over an ominous boom bap instrumental whereas “Requiem” featuring Billy Obey himself finds the 2 talking about setting fire to the church at an act of remembrance. “Sulfur” discusses feeling that very chemical on his lips whenever he raps & after the “Hanged Man” skit, “Where Fear Lives” awakens in a field of blue roses no longer telling what’s real & what isn’t.

“Under My Skin” returns to the boom bap talking about producing new life just before “Tenebrous” angrily warns that the Legion Realm will always remain undefeated. “Absolution” featuring Keagan Grimm we’re all cattle for the cause left counting our scars & feeling worthless having no direction or purpose but after the “3 of Swords” skit, “Fire Walk with Me” talks about burning inside due to everlasting flames.

To get the final leg of The Bastard Son going, “The Rot” keeps it boom bap vividly painting the image of decay throwing up his arm & being in it’s clutches while “Apocalyptic” featuring Stray sees the pair talking cleansing the Earth with fire. “Death” produced by Slasher Dave speaks of the sky falling & the calling being inescapable leading into “Thy Will Be Done” finishing up by letting everyone know that they are bound in blood.

Almost 4 years since his breakout debut, S.O.N.’s long-awaited LLE debut continues to usher in a new era of the wicked shit called doom bap & evolving on every redeemable quality Grant Us Eyes possessed from the horrorcore-lyricism to the traditional boom bap production revealing that the fire of truth eventually reveals the Legion Realm will forever reign supreme & Long Live Evil rightfully continuing to bring back a feeling that was lost over a decade ago.

Score: 4.5/5

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J1Hunnit – “It Is What It Is” review

Smackover, Arkansas rapper J1Hunnit is back almost 11 months after Nevermind, I’ll Do It to release his 14th studio LP. Notable for his affiliation with the ShittyBoyz, he’s built up a discography of over a dozen full-lengths for himself along with 3 EPs & a couple collab efforts. Briefcase Boy, Modern Day Classic, Mink Coat Music, On Display, Planet Spunk & Don’t Be a Dweeb have all improved from his late 2010s/early 2020s material greatly & some of the guests who appear throughout It Is What It Is had me more excited than I typically get for his music.

“John Doe” starts the album by talking about wanting to sit from outer space & watch the world resolve itself over a Detroit trap instrumental whereas “Small Things to a Giant” how he views wasted time to be the worst thing ever referencing my 2nd favorite basketball player of all-time Kobe Bryant. “Encrypted” moves on to talk about clout being a hell of a drug leading into “Go 2 Work” speaks directly to those who ain’t built for this music shit.

Meanwhile on “Bad Muthafucka”, we have J1Hunnit over a fusion between cloud rap & Detroit trap talking about the kind of person that he is generally just before the personal favorite “Goyard Duffle” feels less of an interlude & more of an 155 second song feeling like he’s the same person he’s always been. “Finding My Passion” vents about feeling like he loves too hard & doesn’t hustle enough while “How I’m Livin’” breaks down his lifestyle.

“Lame” lets this chick know that she’s fed up with the broke ass dude she’s seeing & wanting to find out why she always got an attitude while “Wrong Type” featuring Tony Shhnow produced by Danny G & Jakesand introspectively talks about falling in love with the incorrect type of women. “Thumbin’” featuring Certified Trapper & G.T finds the trio flexing their wealth even if G.T. has my favorite guest appearance of the 2 while “9x Outta 10” talks about the kind who pump fake rich.

Babytron & Sada Baby both join J1Hunnit on the refreshing “Pop It” from the synths & 808s to the boastful lyricism while “Boston Baked Beans” featuring Babytron puts the pairing chemistry up for display clocking in at 2 & a half minutes approximately. “Chanelly” has to be another favorite of mine whether it be the Jakesand beat or the materialistic subject matter while “Avant Garde” talks about him being so fly, that he lets his closet hang glide.

“Fuck Fame” finds himself unable to tell if the love is coming from a genuine place & that he doesn’t want to be famous if his people only call him when they need him while “Missing You” passionately remembers the people in his life who’ve all passed away. “Aladdin’s Carpet” talks about wanting to take a shortcut as a quicker way of reaching his target while “Kamilla” gives a shoutout to Kamilla Cardoso of the Chicago Sky.

The song “Wagwaan” winds down the last few minutes of It Is What It Is with J1Hunnit asking what the fuck’s going on with a delivery that was supposed to touch down selling hits with Lando out the Bando while “Hollywood” finishes up the LP talking about witnessing someone he knew mutating into a monster. “Streets Don’t Love You” featuring Spice 1 starts the deluxe run reflecting on when they walked past the flames while “I Hope You Hate Me” featuring Samuel Shabazz oozes of bitter ex energy.

“Girl Wyd?” turns up the bass & atmosphere for 139 seconds talking about how he ain’t ever gonna stop throwing cash in the strip club while “I’m a Just Boy” gets his in spiritual bag topically. “Rikishi” references none other than the WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion himself while “Photosynthesis” featuring Babytron goes back-&-forth with each other 1 last time. “1st Day Out” marks the final bonus track talking about getting to the bread immediately.

Coinciding with his birthday, J1Hunnit makes it his newest mission now that he’s got his chips stacked to take over the world under Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records & It Is What It Is welcomes him home after some time incarcerated with the most captivating project he’s ever done. Tight production catered to the Detroit sound & an almost perfect list of guests joining quite possibly the most entertaining hip hop artist in Arkansas right now making up for lost time.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ill Tone – “The Outcome” review

Ill Tone is a producer from Buffalo, New York known for his collaborations amongst the iconic underground labels Griselda Records, Drumwork Music Group & Black Soprano Family Records. His resume beyond that whole realm further includes the likes of Krayzie Bone & Project Pat, signing to B$F to put out an official debut album of his own through the local indie enterprise staying increasingly consistent with the output a week after Duffel Bag Hottie put out his new EP Shut Down the Dance Floor by recording his vocals through a prison phone.

After the Westside Gunn intro, the first song “Impossible” by Conway the Machine along with Jae Skeese & Rome Streetz fuses rap rock & boom bap doing what others thought couldn’t be done whereas the title track by Benny the Butcher ruggedly talks about his flow being unmatched when it is. “Supper Immaculate” by AZ & Elcamino doesn’t disappoint with its name since both of them kill it over some magnificent sampling & “Pick a Side” by Conway after the Ghostface Killah interlude talks about being either with them or against them.

Following the “Journey” skit, Benny gets another solo cut with “36oz & a Mercedes” discusses not being as humble as everyone else backed by this crooning soul sample just before “Raw Cain” by Elcamino reflects on the way things used to be for him back then. “The Mood” by Flee Lord & Gully talks about them holding it down for several blocks even if they don’t rule the world leading into “I See” by Elcamino & Player K soulfully promising the player shit coming with them when their time comes.

“Supreme Balla” by Elcamino & Smoke DZA brings a jazzy boom bap vibe to the table as both of them admitting that these weak MCs out here be pissing them off acting like they the shit when they’re gonna call them as they see them while “Punctuality” by The Black Abstract, Chase Fetti & Jae Skeese maintains the jazzily dusty flare talking about missing your future if you dwell on the past. “B.T.L.” by Elcamino, O.T. the Real & Stove God Cook$ ends with pure lyrical pressure from all 3 of them with some fresh ass sampling behind them.

Starring the deluxe run, “My Side of the Story” by Rick Hyde & Sule unites the pair to talk about the blood, sweat & tears that’ve led them to glory & no longer being ignored while “Colosseum Rap” by Elcamino & Fuego Base explains that this is for the men trying to get the bread & not for the suckas. The final bonus track “Kenny Solomon” by Jae Skeese & YoungstaCTP gets on some mobster shit instrumentally bridging the gap.

Showcasing the distinct sound of B$F that has drawn acclaim from critics & fans alike, Ill Tone’s full-length debut studio LP will easily stand until December as one of if not the best producer album that has come out in 2025 because the hard-hitting verses from a near-flawless list of guests over the Buffalo beatsmith’s dynamic production balancing boom bap, drumless, chipmunk soul, jazz rap & rap rock remain consistently aggressive from start to finish.

Score: 4/5

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