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.
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.
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.
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.
Lady Gaga is a 38 year old singer/songwriter, actress & Haus Labs founder from New York City breaking out into stardom in 2008 off her full-length debut The Fame after signing to Konvict Kulture & Interscope Records. Her debut EP The Fame Monster & the sophomore effort Born This Way later inspiring the name of the Born This Way Foundation marked her final offering for Konvict, remaining on Interscope for Artpop along with Joanne & Chromatica. Her previous LP Harlequin was better than Joker 2: Folie a Deux itself, coming off the disappointing film for her 7th studio album.
“Disease” draws from electropop, dance-pop, midtempo bass, French electro & futurepop singing about making sinners into believers whereas “Abracadabra” works in elements of dance-pop, electro house, electropop, acid house, hardbag & French electro facing the challenge of life, the challenge of the night & finding the magic in it all. “Garden of Eden” produced by Gesaffstein maintains the dance pop vibes mirroring Adam & Eve’s biblical paradise prior to “Perfect Celebrity” serving as the theme song of the current WWE Women’s Champion & former NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton’s upcoming WrestleMania XLI match against 14-time WWE women’s champion, 2-time NXT Women’s Champion & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair making some stunning commentary on the manufacturing of those types of celebrities.
Moving on from there, “Vanish Into You” sings about wanting to merge into a singular identity of her partner’s in order to insulate herself from the worldly emotions just before the synth-funk “Killah” pushes herself out of her comfort zone swing herself as a killer both in a literal & metaphorical state. “Zombieboy” remembers her late friend Rick Gernest who passed away in the summer of 2018 with celebration of the nights when fun leads to feeling like a zombie the next morning, but then “LoveDrug” basically comparing the feeling of love to an addictive substance.
“How Bad Do You Want Me?” questions how much her partner loves her in the midst of him dreaming about another person while “Don’t Call Tonight” goes for a warm pop rock flare suggesting not to hit her line unless the targeted individual wants to cause her harm. The irresistibly catchy “Shadow of a Man” sings about not wanting to be under the darkness tonight & to have the light shown to her while “The Beast” shows her evil alter ego telling her partner to colloquially free the beast from within him.
The track “Blade of Grass” dedicates this moment to her fiancé Michael Polansky recalling conversations of proposals in their backyard & simply wrapping a blade of grass around her finger would be her act of grace until “Die with a Smile” featuring Bruno Mars ends fusing pop soul, pop rock, soft rock, adult contemporary & piano rock really crossing over “Shallow” off the A Star is Born soundtrack & Bruno’s work with Anderson .Paak of the duo Silk Sonic wanting to be with each other during the end of the world.
“Can’t Stop the High” starts the deluxe run mixes electro & grunge music for a harder successor to “Perfect Celebrity” while “The Dead Dance” meshes nu-disco, dance-pop, synthwave, synth-funk & electropop to sing about music’s ability to save the lives of others. The final bonus track “Kill for Love” finishes with somewhat of a spiritual successor to “The Beast” in the sense of the werewolf she was speaking of is replying back to her dismissing the idea of wearing it’s disguise.
Stemming from a period of deep introspection & personal challenges, Lady Gaga celebrates her love for music by bringing together a wide variety of genres, styles & different dreams from a place of joy. The production built around dance-pop, electropop, nu-disco, pop rock, synthpop, soft rock, adult contemporary & piano rock, synth-funk, electro house, acid house, hardbag, French electro, midtempo bass & futurepop results in the most memorable songs that’s she’s written in roughly 15 years embarking on a transgressive journey through genres reflecting her diverse musical influences & life experiences.
This is the sophomore effort from Montréal, Québec, Canada emcee, producer & engineer Mike Shabb. Coming up in the spring of 2018 off his full-length debut Northwave, he would continue to make his presence known by putting out 6 EPs & his last couple of mixtapes before gaining notoriety for engineering Boldy James’ 5th album Fair Exchange No Robbery along with producing “Switches on Everything” off Hitler Wears Hermes X & enlisting his mentor Nicholas Craven to fully produce his 5th EP Shadow Moses from top to bottom. Hood Olympics & Sewaside III were both solid in their own rights, returning 10 months later with Shabb Van Gogh.
“breakadawn” is this self-produced jazz rap intro asking how you know so much about him when he ain’t ever been around you whereas “merry go round” takes the lo-fi boom bap route instrumentally to dirty dance harder than the late Patrick Swayze did. “underground legend” soulfully with co-production from Nicholas Craven addresses his legacy since his popularity keeps increasing while “Jank” hooks up these bare pianos showing a serious side to him dealing with pain.
As for “Krump”, we have Mike bringing the soul samples back in the fold to speak in Ebonics for a little over 2 minutes prior to “can’t wait” after the “brand new sound” interlude continuing to show off his sampling techniques talking about feeling important these days. “nothing is the same” maintains the soulfulness except he’s going drumless to discuss everything always changing, but then “crews pop” featuring Niontay unites the pair to talk about nobody fucking with them.
“splash bros” featuring Trapmat Savior has to be my favorite collaboration of the 2 making me hope they got a Splash Bros EP from them coming out like the Moncler Boyz did while “Van Gogh” talks about others getting pissed over his girl playing his music. “Disco Duck II” is a highly enjoyable sequel to the Hood Olympics standout & “Rope” strips the drums for the final moments calling the most wanted dead men.
Preparing himself for Hood Olympics 2 in a couple months from now, one of Montréal’s finest in recent memory comes off the 3rd & final installment of the Sewaside trilogy that came out last spring with an album that I find myself enjoying more than Northwave. Regardless if I found myself enjoying the other more than the first one, Mikea artistic growth in the last 7 years on the mic & as a producer is widely put on display for almost an half hour.
6 is a 34 year old producer from Bowie, Maryland notable for being the longtime in-house producer for Logic & his independent label Bobby Boy Records. They’ve known each other at least since 2009, putting out a debut mixtape of his own called the 6ixtape celebrating its 2-year anniversary this spring. Taking himself to the next level though, he’s bringing a whole list of performers on board to compile an official full-length studio debut album peaking interest for any Logic fans who love the work they’ve done with each other up until this point.
The first song “Why Should I?” by Guapdad 4000 & Juicy J after the intro was my favorite single of the 3 asking why should they give a fuck over a vibrant trap instrumental whereas “Roundabout” by Pardyalone & Phil Adé spaciously talks about being sick of these bitches in their living room. “Firmament” by Buddy, Blu & KYLE finds the trio suggesting that everyone listening to continue balling leading into “293” by D.R.A.M. & Guapdad showing a romantic side to them.
“WMD” by Logic heads for a jazzy boom bap direction with the beat getting in his shit-talking bag for a bit & after the interlude, the title track finishes the first leg of Homebody with a nearly 2-minute instrumental cut. “A Lot Like” by Bobby Boy Records artist Travis Stacey stylistically departs from hip hop in favor of rock music & pulling it off better than I would’ve expected, but then “Messi” by Jazz Cartier & TOBi keeps it on lock with a spacey trap heater.
Cousin Stizz & Felix team up on “Foreign” kinda throwing it back to The Neptunes in the early 2000s sonically while “What Do You Say?” by ChloTheGod heads for more of a neo-soul direction. “Raw” by Buddy, Blu, Joey Valence & Brae and KYLE fully embraces the boom bap sound to bring it hardcore while “Palace” by AQ & TK Rhodes smoothly gets back on the melodic tip. “Bright Lights” by KYLE & Skizzy Mars ahead of the outro finishes 6’s debut with a decently stripped back closer.
Meant to push himself out of his comfort zone, Logic’s longtime collaborator truly is a homebody by nature & the urge to step out & show the world more to who who he is finally reveals itself with a debut album that I personally find myself a little mixed on his. The versatile production revolving around trap, jazz rap, boom bap, R&B, rock is very tasteful since his talents behind the boards have always been there. My biggest complaint about it though is the inconsistency amongst the guests.
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.
Whitechapel is a deathcore band from Knoxville, Tennesse consisting of drummer Brandon Zackey, lead guitarist Ben Savage, rhythm guitarist Alex Wade, the 3rd guitarist Zach Householder, bassist Gabe Crisp & frontman Phil Bozeman. They would later fit right in with Metal Blade Records following their debut The Somatic Defilement by putting out This is Exile, A New Era of Corruption,self-titled, Our Endless War & Mark of the Blade. Their last couple The Valley & Kin have proven to be their most acclaimed, returning after 6 years for the band’s 9th full-length studio LP.
“Prisoner 666” opens with this hellish deathcore intro bearing the number of the beast whereas the title track further integrates brutal palm-muted & tremolo-picked riffing, blast beat-focused drumming & guttural vocals with groovy breakdown sections coming to consume all the seas. “Diabolic Slumber” talks about life being a lie & suggesting that everyone meets their demise just before the lead single “A Visceral Reach” throws it back to The Somatic Defilement era.
After the “Ex Infernis” instrumental cut, “Hate Cult Ritual” begins the 2nd half revealing themselves as disciples of hate as well as rage & murder leading into “The Abysmal Gospel” talks about having a silver tongue continuing to fuse death metal & metalcore together. “Bedlam” reassures everyone listening that they’ll never be reborn descending towards the mouth of failure & doubt while “Mammoth God” talks about his greed growing strong. “Nothing’s Coming for Any of Us” ends with 1 more deathcore track revolving around nothing being real.
It’s really a sequel to This is Exile, but the band residing in the same city that made former 3-time WWE women’s world champion & 2-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair returns to their heavier roots prominently shown throughout their earlier material on Hymns in Dissonance following the story of a cultist who’s gathering worthy people to join his cult including moments in the storyline where the cult followers are singing an evil hymn to open a portal for the head cultist to enter. Some of the characteristics that made The Somatic Defilement so special notably seep their way throughout the dynamic, brutal musicality backing the compelling lyrical story.
Dough Networkz is a music management executive & underground hip hop curator from Inglewood, California notable for having the duo DirtyDiggs produce his full-length studio debut LP Above Cloud Vision in the summer of 2019. He even helped curate an East to West compilation from Lord Mobb Music about a year & a half ago, turning the sophomore effort here into a double album except both discs were released a week apart from each other.
“Niyyah” by Osbe Chill & Tek is a soulful intro talking about being strong & wrong simultaneously whereas “A Day Late & $1 Short” by Boldy James & Trizz featuring Jay Worthy on the remix was a great lead single linking up to boast they’ve been getting money since prior to them getting laid for the first time. “Fake Dead” by Jason Martin formerly known as Problem, Jayson Cash & WeSSmont SSkeme brings a west coast vibe with Jason Martin having the best verse while “Dreamin’” by Big Twins soulfully feels like the hood is his.
Conway the Machine & Sirrealist join forces for the gully boom bap joint “Sawed Off” talking about getting your nose blown the fuck off if you stick it where it shouldn’t be leading into the cloudy “3 Hours Past Noon” by Jay Worthy boasts that it ain’t a party until he pulls up to the spot. The soulful “Never Knew” by Jameel Na’im X, King Akeem & Young Roddy admitting they didn’t think the love the trio have would be the way it is & “Sunsets Over Inglewood” by Domo Genesis featuring Smoke DZA on the remix proved to be another great single choice representing the southwest.
“Old Rules” by N8NOFACE angrily gives a middle finger to the kids who be calling him an old head when he feels like you should rightfully have pride in your shit just before “Automatic Lovers” by Airplane James & The Jack Moves switches gears stylistically departing from hip hop in favor of a smooth soul ballad. “Rap Camp” by Ab-Soul, Baron Davis, Dazy Lyn, LaRussell, Malachi & Mani Coolin is this cool 7 & a half minute posse cut while “Crime Networkz” by Crimeapple & RLX feels reminiscent of their recent collab album Los Pollos Hermanos.
Tha God Fahim jumps on top of this haunting instrumental throughout “Eyes of the Beholder” doing squats with the weight of the world on his shoulders while “Goodbye Twice” by Baron Davis & T.F. soulfully talks hitting the parlay like it’s Uncut Gems. The song “Lil Bobby” by Hyde Park Firebug & Traffic discusses the realest shit meaning more to them & “Play Your Role” by Cala the Prophet & Eastside K-Boy offers nothing more than advice.
“Don’t” by Drebo sets off Side B with a west coast g-funk banger with a hook reminiscent of the late, great Nate Dogg carrying over elements from that era onto “Black Bentley” by Black C & Lil Woofy Woof except both of them are showing off their gang ties. “Player Made” by Brodie Fresh & The Musalini hops over a sample to talk about them being the players they are while “Beverly Hills Car Club” by AJ Snow finds therapy within wiping down the rims of his ride.
Osbe Chill & Rome Streetz appear for the crooning “However” talking about getting rich while “Phone Call from Dough” by Westside Webb jazzily making it clear that he really be hustling & flowing out here staying in his own zone. “Cash Rules” by Kai Ca$h goes boom bap so he can explain that money talks while “West to East” by Flee Lord & MC Eiht perfectly represents both Queens, New York & the city of Compton, California.
“Sticks & Scars” by Da$h & Win or Lose Records has a slower boom bap tone realizing that the payback is way past due the way they see it while “Mika & Sef” by Baron Davis & 2-1 keeps it in the basement showing off the different type of skill they’ve already mastered. “Center of Change” by Chance Infinite grittily performs prayers instead of a seance in the middle of chaos observing the devils having awareness of being wrong & “Designer Drugs” by Jonah Love makes me feel like I’m listening to Boldy James.
Mitchy Slick & Trizz come together to make “Money on the Fly” backed by a sample while “The Invitation” by Vel 9 finds her drifting on a star. The song “No Fronts” by Huey Bliss cloudily talks being reliant on his clientele & “Where We Are” by Sadat X opens up on only needing a few individuals by his side rather than a whole army with these piano chords playing behind him. “Time is Now” by Big Cheeko & JAY NiCE closes Side B with them talking about what a shame it is that people act lame & gossip.
After the “Follow Your Dreamz” skit, “Clearing My Mind” by G Perico starts the deluxe run with a drumless sample looking to free himself mentally while “3 for 50” by O.T. the Real soulfully talks about trappin’ since his halfway house days. “Allahu A Lem” by Osbe Chill & Tha God Fahim teams up together again to discuss God eternally knowing best while the funky “Black Business” by All Hail Y.T. & EDIDON talks about African American entrepreneurship.
“Came from the Bottom” by Morray cloudily admits to the mistake of bringing too much fake in his mix & not having anything growing up while “Cocaine Heroin” by G4 Jag & T.F drumlessly talks about pushin’ weight. “Darkside” by Reaper Mook continues the bare sampling to state he was in the trap too long because he felt like it was the only way while LIFEOFTHOM’s title track bodies a jazzy boom bap beat for 112 seconds.
After the “Follow Your Vision” spoken word interlude, “Handle Business” by Southside Vic smoothly talks about running up the money with bad ambition & his girl’s response when he told her he was in the lab while “It’s a Compton Thang” by Mari Ruger & MC Eiht represents their hometown with a g-funk flare. “Limo Tints” by Jay Worthy & Tiona Deniece experiments with trap soul hoping to make haters sick with their success while “Stronger Than My Pain” by EDIDON & Tha God Fahim talks about there being no love lost because it doesn’t cost shit.
Warren Wint gets introspective over some keys during “Out My Window” simply trying to survive around his parts livin’ to get by while “Triumph” by Bale & Neko Brim soulfully talks about this sounding like a victory lap to them. “Patterns” by Boldy James, Grafh & T.F. unites so each of them can describe livin’ like legitimate gangsters while the funky “Sliding” by B-Legit & LE$ talks about tying up anyone who tries to mess with their bread.
“Paisa” by El Nino switches up with a full-blown Latin rap song backed by a classy instrumental while “Yote Networkz” by Coyote makes up for it’s minute & a half brevity with both LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco spitting aggressive verses in that matter of time. “Sushi” by Sirrealist & Starz Coleman prefers to peak out the window like Malcolm instead of turning the other cheek while the final bonus track is pretty much Win or Lose Records speaking “Straight from the Heart”.
Since both discs of Dis for the Project are finally in front of us now, it reveals itself to be an exciting double LP following up on Dough Networkz’ official debut Above Cloud Vision. I prefer the production that NoyOne & J.R. cooked up 6 years ago, except I appreciate the quality list of performers that he had to bring on board whether it be established veterans or some lesser-known names looking break down the wall of obscurity & get themselves out there.
Legends Will Never Die 