Digital Nas – “Tampering with Sound” review

Digital Nas is a 26 year old producer, rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia whom many including myself got introduced to in 2016 after producing “Up Next 2” off Lil Yachty’s debut mixtape Lil Boat. Following an eponymous debut EP of his own, he would go on to put out another EP Throwaway Songs Worth Listening To. & a sequel to his self-titled EP as his full-length studio debut. His bitterness & desperation for attention has seemed to get the best of him as of late whether it be him making homophobic remarks about Tyler, The Creator during the Chromakopia rollout or being a yes-man for Ye formerly known as Kanye West in the midst of the latter’s behavior on Twitter worsening in the last 5 months owned by Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder, Neuralink founder & Nazi Elon Musk. Nearly a couple months since DONDA 2 was finally completed, the man’s sophomore effort originally set to close the DN trilogy has been made public on streaming.

“Honest” feels reminiscent of his work on Ye’s final Def Jam Recordings album DONDA with the organs & electric guitar astonished by the amount of people falling for idiocracy whereas the experimentally drumless “Living n a Dream” sings about life not being what it seems. “bLCK hedi SliManE” regurgitates Ye’s obsession with the far-right with the “new black KKK” line over a chaotic trap instrumental while the synth-driven “Loose Screw” acknowledges his eccentricity.

What could possibly be the worst song he’s ever made “New Ice” ruins a trap beat with some decent synthesizers with poor songwriting & a hideous delivery with the soulful “#1 P” not being any better topically wanting to call it even & others wanting to be him when I simply cannot imagine that in any capacity. “Stars Aligning” goes for a drumlessly cloudy direction instrumentally trying to convince you he defines reprimands while “Broke the Rules” ironically talks about him not missing these days when he in fact has on several instances.

“God’s Timing” keeps the drums out of the equation hooking up more synthesizers conveying that everything’s on the most high’s time leading into the ambient plugg heavy “TrustNo1” talking about a vast majority of the population reading off as untrustworthy from his perspective. “False News” continues the decent sampling choices tackling a breakup & hoping for a redo becoming a possibility while “inLove” carries the theme of romance over further for only a couple minutes.

The song “Life Wild” brings a bare electric guitar to the table talking about the way he’s been living lately when that hasn’t been made any more obvious by him dissing Tyler, The Creator & even Ye’s former longtime engineer Mike Dean or wishing death on KiD CuDi for testifying against Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy while “Peacing Out” caps off Tampering with Sound taking the final moments to sing about letting it show where he’ll be.

Up until everything that happened between him & Tyler last fall, I would’ve told you that Digital Nas was a tolerable producer albeit a below average rapper/singer. Does that still ring true? Yeah, sure but he really needs to get his ego under control if he genuinely thinks that he’s a far superior performer than the former Odd Future de facto leader when he never has been & never will be. The only real thing this album has going for it a lot like almost all of his previous solo material is his pop rap, alternative R&B, experimental hip hop & art pop production because he’s a below average songwriter, a mediocre performer & an ugly spirited person outside of it all.

Score: 1/5

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Addison Rae – “Addison” review

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 4/5

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The High & Mighty – “Sound of Market” review

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 4.5/5

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Lil Wayne – “Tha Carter VI” review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 1.5/5

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Little Simz – “Lotus” review

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 4.5/5

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BigBabyGucci – “Internet Explorer” review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 4.5/5

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untiljapan – “Trompe-L’oeil” review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 4/5

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T.F. – “The Green Bottle” review

Los Angeles, California emcee T.F. enlisting Khrysis to produce his 6th LP. Initially hearing him on “Tookie Knows, Pt. II” off ScHoolboy Q’s magnum opus Blank Face LP, he subsequently dropped his debut EP No Hooks only 7 months later, which was followed up by his full-length album ErThangSkanless & then a 2nd EP called OktoberFest. After appearing on Flee Lord’s 8th EP Hand Me My Flowers produced entirely by Buckwild & put out 2 more EPs on his own, T.F. eventually signed to Lord Mobb Music & put out Blame Kansas produced by both Mephux & Roc Marciano. Over 3 years since the latter, The Green Bottle had already built up more than enough excitement from my perspective due to the singles.

Following the intro, the first song “Ordells Kangol” was a funky soul hybrid to officially start us off talking about taking the whole entire world down not too long after giving it to him whereas “Handle Bars” featuring Flee Lord & Smoke DZAfinds the trio bringing it hardcore over a dusty woodwind instrumental. “Get the Money” works in some pianos finding himself trying to do whatever it takes to make some bread while “Lawry’s” soulfully thanks everyone for fuckin’ with him.

Bun B joins T.F. for a homage to former No Limit Records signee “Mr. Serv-On” talking about what it was like for him growing up listening to Da Life Insurance instead of Lil Uzi Vert prior Baccarat Tumblers” featuring Westside Webb very well possibly being the only track during The Green Bottle that I could care less for. “Air Heads” hooks up a chipmunk soul sample explaining that he got the best of both worlds until “What It Is (TGB)” talks about the best kind of love to him.

“Nostalgia” featuring Curren$y sees the pair linking up over a soulfully drumless beat so they can discuss needing a stylist & wistfulness at the exact same time while “Street Lights” heads for a smoother direction to the beat talking about where the street dudes be hangin’ at even in broad daylight. “Line It Up” chops up more soul samples boasts that there ain’t no blemishes on his name how he came up in hip hop while “Runnin’ in Place” returns to the boom bap talking about the machine being in motion. The final song “God Speed” prior to the outro finds himself feelin’ like his success happened overnight.

Bonding over their love of chess helping each other with sobriety, The Green Bottle overcomes the moderate reception 80z Babies & Feelin’ the Power both went on to receive with an album I can say with the utmost confidence is the most consistent I’ve heard T.F. since Blame Kansas. Khrysis’ production on this one makes a variation of his soulful funk sound tailored for the west coast lyricist to musically back the stories he has to tell.

Score: 4.5/5

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Eto & Flee Lord – “RocAmeriKKKa III” review

Rochester, New York emcee/producer Eto teaming with Queens emcee Flee Lord for their 3rd collaborative studio LP. Both of whom have become prolific in the modern day east coast underground hip hop scene & crossed paths with each other on several occasions over the course of time, most notably on RocAmeriKKKa in the fall of 2019 & RocAmeriKKKa II on Devil’s Night the following year. They’ve both spent the next 3 & half years continuing to carve their own paths with their solo careers, finally linking back up to finish the RocAmeriKKKa trilogy.

The intro is mostly Flee Lord hopping over a slowed down instrumental with a hint of psychedelia sprinkled in talking about coming from the state where you’re either wearing it or you’re buying it whereas “Cash Conversion” bring the pair together over a mellow yet dusty beat that Eto cooked up himself blasting anyone with no questions asked. “Digi Scales” featuring Conway the Machine works in some pianos to talk about their days moving weight while “Broken Phone Deals” hooks up a funky organ flip admitting the fast life didn’t change them.

“Kitchen” featuring NEMS maintains a boom bap vibe continuing to talk that Pyrex shit just before “Power” ominously boasting that they stay gettin’ litty without a chaperone. “Zip of Badu” featuring Vel 9 unites the trio so they can dustily talk about keeping the lips sealed during convos regarding money while “Moral of Struggle” featuring Starz Coleman takes on the message of hardships. “Self Crowned” featuring Mummz has one of my favorite instrumentals from godBLESSbeatz making the backdoor the entrance & “The Ones That Stayed” produced by DJ Green Lantern shouts out the people who never switched up.

Rather than having Eto fully handle the production by himself like he did on RocAmeriKKKa II over 4 & a half years ago, RocAmeriKKKa III takes it back the essence of the original RocAmeriKKKa by enlisting other producers to handle the musical soundscapes for a vast majority of it setting the bar of their chemistry as high as they’ve set it for their own solo careers presently when you think of them individually leveling up their craft since turning heads in the late 2010s. Be sure to catch them live at The Paramount in Los Angeles on July 18 for an exciting night for RocAmeriKKKa fans.

Score: 4/5

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Seth MacFarlane – “Lush Life” review

Seth MacFarlane is a 51 year old actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian & singer from Kent, Connecticut notable for being the creator of Family Guy on the Fox Corporation’s flagship property & American Dad! set to move back to the network it premiered on in 2026 after a decade on the Discovery Global-owned tbs. He’s also known for his directional debut ted during the end of my freshman year of high school voicing the titular character & airing a prequel series on the Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBCUniversal owned peacock. Couldn’t forget to mention the 7 vocal jazz albums he has put out under Republic Records & getting to perform lost arrangements for his musical idol in Reprise Records founder Frank Sinatra over the course of his 8th LP.

A rendition of “Give Me the Simple Life” introduced from the film Wake Up & Dream almost 8 decades ago next winter really opens up on the Lush Life from there whereas “I Never Felt This Way Before” waits & ponders where the love of his life is over some delicate string sections. The title track essentially serves as a cover of a jazz standard Billy Strayhorn wrote in the early/mid 1930s prior to “Flying Down to Rio” giving a big band vibe for the theme of a nonagenarian pre-code musical.

“How Did She Look?” feels like a counterpart to a song Joan Merrill made in the 40s asking about the well being of his ex-fiancée that he hasn’t seen in over a year or so after someone he knew ran into her while “Who’s in Your Arms Tonight?” wants to know who’s listening to lies coming out of lips divined over a harmonious choir behind. “A Wonderful Day Like Today” fuses big band & vocal jazz defying any dark clouds to hover on top of him just before “When Joanna Loved Me” covers a composition Tony Bennett popularized.

7 Hills of Rome gets its flowers to start the 3rd & final act of Lush Life with Seth’s own version of “Arrivederci Roma” performed in the 1958 musical leading into “Hurry Home” setting the worrisome tone with some woodwinds & chordophones asking tor his partner to return back as quickly as she can because of him feeling all alone. “Ain’tcha Ever Coming Back?” & “No More Shadows” both tie up the full-length with covers honoring the memories of both Peggy Lee & Erroll Garner respectively.

For a collection of arrangements originally written for Come Fly With Me & Only the Lonely that were left on the cutting room floor, the Fuzzy Door Productions founder gears up for The Naked Gun 4 next month starring the likes of Liam Neeson & the previous WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to name a couple with a vocal jazz album surpassing Music’s Better Than Words at the start of my freshman year of high school. Seth MacFarlane’s warm expressive vocals breathe new life into these carefully preserved outtakes like it’s a time capsule opened for the first time ever.

Score: 4/5

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