Bruiser Wolf – “Potluck” review

This is the 3rd full-length studio album from Detroit, Michigan emcee Bruiser Wolf. A member of the Bruiser Brigade collective, his 2021 solo debut Dope Game Stupid would become an experimentally gangsta & comedic gem although the sophomore effort My Story Got Stories was more moderately received 16 months ago. “Rope Chain” last summer is already one of my favorite songs in Bruiser’s whole discography & even if it’s not on Potluck, some of the teasers from it held their own weight.

“Say No More” produced by Knxwledge was a groovy opener that sets the tone of what’s to come talking about this being the reason he’s hated & giving the audience what they’ve been waiting for whereas “Write or Wrong” turns up the funkiness thanking God for the microphone in his hand. “Air Fryer” takes a cloudier, sample-based trap approach thanks to Harry Fraud talking about using that very object to cook up dope while “Beat the Charge” brings a soulful flare to the table courtesy of Nicholas Craven likening his life to a movie.

Jake One hooks up a cloudy trap instrumental during “Lock In” so Bruiser can talk about having to focus leading into “Pee-wee Herman” featuring Chilly Gonzales bringing the 2 together over a quirkier beat flexing that both of them are always grindin’ & servin’. “Offer I Couldn’t Refuse” was a great cloudy trap single that F1LTHY of Working on Dying laced explaining that the street made him a deal so good to the point where he couldn’t turn it down prior to the soulful “Trust Issues” talking about trusting someone who eventually snitched.

“Baby You” shows off his equity & discusses a woman who desires to fuck with a real one over a bare chipmunk soul instrumental from both Harry Fraud & Danny G while “Guns & Squares” featuring Sir Michael Rocks finds the pair talking about fuckin’ with those 2 things in the past until ditching ‘em in favor of boom bap on top of prominent bass-licks. “Fancy” featuring Fat Ray crosses over synth-funk & hip hop referencing The Walt Disney Company-owned FX series Snowfall while “Whippin’” featuring Nebr, The Tiger jazzily talks about the drug game.

The song “Confusing” begins the final moments of Potluck stripping the drums once again venting over the perplexing nature of bitches that’re usually around him & lastly, “Over Looks” luxuriously finishes up the LP telling this women that she’s so much more than looks on top of pointing out the shallow nature of society these days & hoping the message he’s trying to convey doesn’t get disregarded.

Potluck exemplifies of how nobody in the game cooks like Bruiser Wolf as he invites us to a world where truth, absurdity & wisdom are doled out in even portions. Known for his signature voice along with vivid street narratives & off-kilter humor, Bruiser carves out his own space & singular voice further than before with the most expansive album in his discography taking on the sounds of drumless, jazz rap, Detroit trap & chipmunk soul telling the gangsta life.

Score: 4/5

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A.M. Early Morning & Novatore – “Kingdom of Criminality II” review

This is the 2nd collaborative album between Chicago, Illinois emcees A.M. Early Morning & Novatore. Both of whom have been turning heads in the underground for a several years now, but didn’t actually connect with each other until “Looking Back” off the latter’s Embrace the Darkness II: Explorers of Experience produced by C-Lance. They teamed up on Kingdom of Criminality produced by Stu Bangas in 2021 & are back 4 years later with Johnny Slash producing the sequel.

“Rabbit & Elephant” opens Kingdom of Criminality II with a hardcore rap rock intro with some solemnly jazzy horns talking about their return as a duo whereas “VHS” takes the boom bap route instrumentally cautioning the apocalyptic vibes when the pistols come out. “Gore Hounds” makes a dope reference to the Prince of hip hop André 3000 making New Blue Sun a flute-heavy solo debut while “Circle of Goats II” featuring Lord Goat turns up the horrorcore influences all the way for a sequel to a standout on the predecessor.

Jarren Benton joins A.M. & Novatore on “Battleground” fuses orchestral & boom bap individually discussing the violent nature of all 3 of themselves & after “Hyenas” hooks up a soul sample likening themselves to assassins ready to take you out with snipers, “Twisted Metal” homages the video game franchise TV adaption with it’s upcoming 2nd season on the Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBCUniversal-owned peacock with the franchise’s mascot being played by Samoa Joe of the current AEW World Trios Champions The Opps.

“King of the Jungle” featuring Chubs angrily expresses the struggle each of them had to endure in their lives to get in the positions they’re at now while “Smurfs” obviously sounds grittier & cutthroat than the Paramount Skydance Corporation’s upcoming reboot of the franchise starring Rihanna later this summer. “Nocturnal Predators” finishes up the LP with the pair describing themselves as being those who come out during the night to attack their prey.

Looking back when I first got into these dudes individually around the same time period, Kingdom of Criminality II lives up to the expectations. I had set out for it in terms of being another great underground hip hop collab effort. It’s refreshing to hear their chemistry still flowing tightly as it did 4 years previously & Johnny Slash’s production style seamlessly compliments Stu Bangas’ on the predecessor when we had originally entered the Kingdom of Criminality.

Score: 4.5/5

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Swans – “Birthing” review

Swans are a highly regarded New York experimental post-rock outfit masterminded by Young God Records founder Michael Gira. Their lengthy discography includes essentials in the band’s respective styles like Filth, Children of God, White Light From the Mouth of Infinity, The Great Annihilator, my favorite of theirs Soundtracks for the Blind, my 3rd favorite The Seer, my 2nd favorite To Be Kind & The Beggar. The latter will be celebrating its 2-year anniversary next month & Birthing’s getting us ready for another summer.

“The Healers” was a magnificently ambitious evolving intro embarking on a 21 minute journey through slick textures on an ocean of sounds singing about the heavens raining down knives of silver to kiss our bodies in the river whereas “I’m a Tower” sticks out as a Single of the Year contender bringing together post-rock, experimental rock, drone, krautrock, totalism, poetry, art rock, post-punk, goth rock & noise rock fluidly for 19 minutes.

Getting to the title track, it evolved into a lengthy sonic beast full of colorful grooves & rich soundscapes because of of multiple portions of it improving progressively during the band’s last tour advising all these motherfuckers to pay attention to him prior to the shortest track here “Red Yellow” fuses their experimental post-rock sound with goth rock with a hook that’s powerfully sung enough to send goosebumps down your arms.

“Guardian Spirit” starts the 2nd half of Birthing emphasizing a darker atmosphere compositionally talking about Michael’s life being your death while “The Merge” feels reminiscent to the handful of musical experimentations Swans has been known for since the early portion of their career trying out sound collage & harsh noise. “Rope / Away” ends with a 2-part closer making the first leg of it entirely instrumental remembering his mother, Bill Rieflin, Catherine Ceresole & Simon Henwood the other

Finishing the trilogy that leaving meaning. started & The Beggar bridged, allegedly the last album in their discography to focus on all-consuming sound worlds to take on a significantly pared down form for the foreseeable future adds to their legacy with their 3rd generational masterpiece behind Soundtracks for the Blind & To Be Kind. Michael’s production expands the experimentally droney post-rock style Swans have made a name of themselves off of & blending it with krautrock, totalism, poetry, art rock, post-punk, goth rock, noise rock, sound collage & harsh noise.

Score: 5/5

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Stereolab – “Instant Holograms on Metal Film” review

Stereolab are an Anglo-French avant-pop band from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of bassist Xavier Muñoz Guimera, keyboardist/vibraphonist Joe Watson, drummer Andy Ramsay, guitarist/keyboardist Tim Gane & frontwoman Lætitia Sadier. The latter’s appearance on “Campfire” off Tyler, The Creator’s sophomore effort Wolf becoming my introduction to her during my sophomore year of high school & the “Ping Pong” video. Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements, Mars Audiac Quintet, Emperor Tomato Ketchup, Dots & Loops, Cobra & Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night, Sound-Dust, Margerine Eclipse and Chemical Chords all stood out for their own reasons once I took a deep dive in the band’s discography although it was 3 years after their hiatus. It’s already been 15 long years since the Chemical Chords collection of outtakes Not Music saw the light of day, signing a new distribution deal with Warp Records for the Duuphonic Records founders’ 11th full-length album.

The lead single “Aerial Troubles” after the “Mystical Plosives” instrumental intro blends indie pop, neo-psychedelia, krautrock, chamber pop, indietronica, psychedelic pop & ambient pop singing about us unable to eat & drink our pain away whereas “Melodie’s a Wound” works in elements of neo-psychedelia, indie rock, ambient pop, space age pop, indietronica, space rock revival, post-rock & neo-acoustic setting manipulation as the goal.

“Immortal Hands” shows off a lounge influence during the first half until the other hooks up drum-machine alongside some dizzying brass & flutes colliding with each other leading into the cheerful “Vermona F Transistor” sings about being the creator of this reality instead of the deceiver who feigns for Lætitia’s love. “Le Coeur Et La Force” puts the band’s French on display lyrically discussing an eternal keystone being lent to them with the same heart of the same strength until “Electrifying Teenybop!” serves as another jam session.

Neo-psychedelia, ambient pop, indie pop, indie rock, indietronica, exotica, lounge & space rock revival all get balled up onto “Transmuted Matter” asking what you see through the eye of the heart while “Esemplastic Creeping Eruption” sings about abiding into the light portal when becomes dark. “If You Remember I Forgot How to Dream” takes a groovier approach condemning the idea of war since she belongs to Earth, but then “Flashes from Everywhere” sings about being learned from instead of being believed.

“Colour Television” gets the backend of Instant Holograms on Metal Film rolling by psychedelically telling a single story being violently imposed as a universal narrative of progress, development & civilization while “If You Remember I Forgot How to Dream 2” rounds out the groop’s comeback effort that many including myself have waited over a decade for with a defiantly singing about exploring without fear & providing contrasts to the predecessor.

Eager to make up for lost time, Stereolab finds themselves in perfect working order gloriously overstuffing songs that key in on familiar pleasure points while introducing all manner of shapeshifting surprises. Their production takes it’s cues from neo-psychedelia, indie pop, indie rock, post-rock, ambient pop, indietronica, krautrock, lounge, chamber pop, psychedelic pop, indie surf, space rock revival & easy listening to promise utopia is still in our grasps.

Score: 4.5/5

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G-Eazy – “Helium” review

Oakland, California rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & actor G-Eazy making up for the delays of his 8th studio LP. Breaking out into the mainstream with his 3rd album These Things Happen in 2014, this was followed up a year later with When It’s Dark Outas well as The Beautiful & Damned back in 2017. Scary Nights was a subpar prelude to These Things Happen Too, Everything’s Strange Here easily stands as his embarrassing body of work yet & the These Things Happen sequel was only better by a small margin. Freak Show was one of the worst albums of 2024 & is putting out Helium only 11 months later.

“GRWM” was a mediocre trap intro talking about hoes calling him & asking them to pay him whereas “Kiss the Sky” gives boom bap a shot only for him to miss with a weak homage to the iconic Jimi Hendrix cut “Purple Haze”. The title track gets into his signature pop rap style pleading for this woman’s love leading into the underwhelming boom bap/rap rock crossover “Outside” featuring Diany Dior staying out for the summer.

Finishing the first half, “Dream About Me” tells his ex not to even think of him in her dreams over a generic trap instrumental just before “Fight & Fuck” gets back on the pop rap vibe once again describing a toxic relationship where he & his partner argue only to make lover afterwards. “Nada” wound up being a close contender for one of the worst singles to come out in 2024 partying when he wants, but then “After Dark” expresses his desire to be understood.

“How Can You Sleep?” gets it going on the final minutes of Helium with an acoustic pop rap cut finding G-Eazy admitting that he can’t move on from this woman that he said he would try to leave in the past & I found the lead single “Vampires” to be a tiring closer addressing toxic relationships once again although I don’t really mind the moodier sound all that much nor did I have any issue with the Bahari hook/bridge.

Conceptually built around the highs & lows of love & life, the sliver of optimism I had regarding this one wasn’t really done any justice even if it was released the day prior of G-Eazy’s birthday & the birthday of his brother he was closer than close too. The boom bap portions are actually average at best & the idea of parties never lasting forever being worth it in the end is a valid life lesson, except neither the trap or the pop rap cuts don’t really scratch the itch.

Score: 1.5/5

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The Musalini – “Live & Let Die” review

California producer DJ Fresh teaming with New York emcee & Jamla Records recording artist The Musalinifor the latter’s 10th studio LP. Beginning to take the underground by storm since 2018 after dropping his debut mixtape Musalini Season, he went on to release 3 full-lengths & another tape before signing to TCF Music Group. Since then, he’s made himself home by dropping a few EPs & Return of the Oro in the early part of this decade. In God We Trust produced by 38 Spesh, The Don & Eye alongside its sequel fully produced 9th Wonder & Pure Izm produced by Khrysis have all quickly become his best material over the past 3 years. Mackaroni produced by Cookin’ Soul became my favorite of the 4 projects Mu$ put out last year & The Pierre Hotel was overloaded with features although the production was outstanding. Fast forward a few months, Live & Let Die is in front of us.

“Late Nite” works in some pianos only to break the door down with a cloudy boom bap instrumental telling his babygirl to live it up whereas “Moneyyyyyy” describes the affection he has for his ride or die. “Speeding” breaks down the explanation of him having more time than he does patience until “Player’s Ball” featuring Planet Asia & Silent Snipers finds the trio portraying themselves as pimps taking a funkier approach to the beat.

Izzy Hott joins Mu$ for “Double Life” advises everyone to know what you’re getting themselves into before they wind up getting themselves into it sampling soul music leading into “Good Game” going for a trap approach to talk about him giving her D is all he does. “Polo Scarf” brings a jazzy boom bap flare to the table always keeping it real & knowing what the agenda is, but then the soulful “Old Soul” talking about time costing money.

The title track featuring O Finess unites the 2 continuing the funkier vibes instrumentally reminding everyone of the way they be living while “Red Eye” calmingly talks about falling asleep on the plane that he boarded in his home state & woke up right when they landed over in the west coast. “Fly Zone” featuring John Dutch sees the pair calling themselves the flyest muhfuckas in the world & “Can’t Buy Love” featuring Silent Snipers ends by talking about not taking life for granted.

Taking a west coast producer & an east coast lyricist, Live & Let Die makes up for the disappointment I had towards The Pierre Hotel with a 33 & a half minute body of work that I think is Mu$’ most enjoyable since Mackaroni almost 14 months ago. He & DJ Fresh are basically paying homage to Kool G Rap & DJ Polo’s 3rd & final album Live & Let Die where both regions take everything distinct of what makes their scenes special & flowing into each other seamlessly.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ouija Macc – “Chlorine” review

In front of us is the 7th studio LP from Las Vegas, Nevada emcee Ouija Macc. Breaking out in the fall of 2017 after the Insane Clown Posse signed him to Psychopathic Records shortly after putting out his debut EP Trashfire independently, Ouija has since proven himself as the hatchet’s biggest solo act dropping his last 6 full-lengths, 2 greatest hits compilations, 8 mixtapes & 5 EPs all in the span of nearly 8 years. He even started his own label Chapter 17 Records, with Darby O’Trill now being the only artist other than Ouija & teamed up with each other 13 months ago for the excellent collab effort Anemoia building up Darcc Planet to become the darccest material of his career last summer. 3 months after Psycho Babbel though, we entered the Temple of Ash & are now leaving so he can drop Chlorine on us in the midst of him opening during ICP’s tour set to end this weekend alongside Wakko the Kidd & tapings of the hit Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) webseries JCW Lunacy. I should also mention the inaugural JCW American Champion currently in his 2nd reign Caleb Konley appearing on Dark Side of the Ring a few days ago to remember the late WWE Cruiserweight Champion Daffney, Haley J ending Dani Mo’s inaugural JCW Women’s Championship reign & former JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champion Kerry Morton ending former The Crash Pesocompleto Campeon, NWA National Champion & TNA X Division Champion Willie Mack’s 2nd reign as JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion.

“Creepy Crawler” starts off with a hellish trap intro produced by Devereaux talking about crawling up on ‘em & stacking up his commas whereas “Miyazaki” pulls from the Memphis scene taking it’s name after the revered スタジオジブリ founder 宮崎駿. “WICC17 SH17” makes a phat homage to the style of music he’s widely known for & putting a modern appeal to it for a newer generation of juggalos while the DeadBoyGrim-laced single “Lil’ Nitemare” walks down the wrong path deviated by demons.

Meanwhile on “Loonatic”, we have Ouija bringing the presence of a wicked clown right in front of you over a cloudy trap instrumental until the ghostly “Never That” talks about running with the pack to the money & never looking back. “House of 1,000 Doors” gets in his storytelling bag portraying himself as a game show host named after Rob Zombie’s classic directional debut House of 1,000 Corpses until “Mr. Fat Balls” drearily talks about being fed up with the bullshit lies.

“Klepto” breaks down his skitzophrenic tendencies on the verge of stealing shit over some pots, pans & hi-hats while the chilling “Up It Up” entertainingly throws in bar introducing a new nickname for himself blending his moniker with the name of current Monday Night RAW commentator, occasional WWE in-ring performer, ESPN’s College GameDay analyst, host of The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN & former Indianapolis Colts kicker Pat McAfee.

Moving on from there, “Toot Toot” samples “The Loons off ICP’s sophomore effort & the 2nd Joker’s Card Ringmaster going 117mph for the cash since he don’t fuck around when it comes to that while “Mean Muthafucka” shows an angrier side to Ouija warning to get out his face unless you wanna see him crash out. “Databass” vividly portrays himself as a sex offender who preys for his victims on the internet, but then “Death Trap” featuring Apoc Krysis unloads 17 from the clip.

“Unda Unda” pulls inspiration from the Memphis hip hop scene more more blending that with horrorcore & trap talking about coming from the underground since Chapter 17/Psychopathic’s whole sound has appealed to that demographic of hip hop culture birthing it’s own subculture in the process & “Would It Be Alright” finishes Chlorine with a trap metal/emo rap hybrid asking if it’s ok if he dies here tonight.

Ouija’s been calling this the best thing he’s ever made for the past month now & I can’t really argue with it because of the the whole concept revolving around him always being a scrub no matter how clean. Devereaux handles most of the production showing influences of trap, horrorcore, cloud rap, trap metal, emo rap & Memphis hip hop backing the C17 CEO’s call for a juggalo takeover.

Score: 4.5/5

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Crimeapple – “Rose Gold” review

This is the 17th studio LP from New Jersey lyricist Crimeapple. Becoming a fan of his in the fall of 2017 with his 4th EP Sweet Dreams along with the Big Ghost Ltd. produced full-length debut Aguardiente that following spring, his profile in the underground grew exponentially from there. Discography standouts include the DJ Skizz-produced Wet Dirt, the DJ Muggs-produced Medallo, Cartagena, Breakfast in Hradec, Sin Cortar, the Preservation-produced El León, the official Aguardiente sequel Bazuko & the Mello Music Group-backed This, Is Not That produced by Apollo Brown. The latter 3 have all become the most I’ve enjoyed Crime’s music in a while to the point where I didn’t expect any different out of Rose Gold.

“Taste Like Butter” samples “O-o-h Child” by The Stairsteps suggesting you take a look at how he went from being broke & down to an icon within the modern underground hip hop scene whereas “Oro Rosa” strips the drums to talk about spoiling himself rotting after giving it everything when he had nothing left. “Paradigms” hooks a boom bap instrumental with some horns coming at the throats of these lame & strange muhfuckas leading into “Discounts” finding him living his best life.

Estee Nack & Eto both team up with Crime on “World Famous” bringing the trio together so they can talk about being well known all across the globe prior to the lead single “‘97 Tape Master” likening themselves to ghetto celebrities. “Easy Enough” flexes that he’s the embodiment of the term MC regardless of his eventual demise settling in on him just before the dusty “Congratulations” talks about taking his foot off the gas to take advantage.

“Paulie” begins the final leg of Rose Gold gives a middle finger to being competitive & becoming more confident in peddling death itself while “Pastor’s Whip” shows a religious side to himself & the gospel sample really couldn’t have fit the overall aesthetic any better. “Trifecta” hops over these stellar pianos to call out the individuals in his life who’re envious of his success while “Crystal City” ends with prominent synthesizers feeling like his bus riding days were yesterday.

Wet Dirt was the very 1st time that I’ve ever reviewed Crime & in light of Breakfast in Hradec celebrating it’s 3-year anniversary next month, Skizz taps back in with the east coast underground vet at this point completing a timeless trilogy by embarking on a journey built on sound matched with storytelling & consistency that those who’ve been following from the start will find themselves enjoying as much as both predecessors.

Score: 4.5/5

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Vino La Mano – “Season of Revenge” review

Corpus Christi, Texas emcee Vino La Mano finally putting out his full-length debut studio album. Catching the eye of Buffalo standout Benny the Butcher after signing to his Black Soprano Family Records imprint, he would go on to drop 18 EPs between 2019 & early 2024 with the most notable being Circle of Trust and Blood & Fire. It’s been quite some time since I’ve last covered him, although those handful of EPs have all been building up for the Season of Revenge to dawn.

The synth-boom bap intro “Stand Where I Stand” talks about going out to get it instead of waiting until something comes up whereas the gritty “Louie V’s Like Forces” promises that he can make the bricks vanish & gets into owing the game favors still. “That’s My Word” maintains a dark boom bap vibe to talk about dirty money & clean money spending the same just before “Halfway There” addresses people saying the game’s getting to him when he ain’t at that point.

“No Questions Asked” talks about being from a place where he has to keep a heater on him & people showing fake love leading into “Build Yo Team” stripping the drums finding himself in traffic when those who always doubt him pray on his downfall wanting to catch him when he’s lacking. “Outta Love” spaciously specifies that one needs stripes in order to have a conversation with him while “Speaking Off Pride” finds him talking to the listener from a place of self-esteem.

As for “Hit the Scene Trappin’”, we have Vino returning to the boom bap talking about making his dreams happen even if it wasn’t easy for him to do by any means until “Ain’t No Love” dustily homages the late DJ Shay & breaks down hate being the new love this day in age when he isn’t lying. “Nothing Lasts Forever” brings the keys back in the fold boasting that he’s the realest around, but then “Put That on My Soul” sees himself talking about never folding.

“Couple Minutes of Pain” starts the Season of Revenge’s final moments stripping the drums again to passionately get some heartbreak off his chest while “Some Things Don’t Change” talks about this being the realest song he’s ever conceived in his entire career, to which I can’t argue with. “Been a Dealer a Long Time” finally wraps up Vino’s long-awaited introductory LP by looking back on his days in the streets moving weight since he was doing that forever until his music started taking off.

Much of the potential I heard on those previous EPs (especially both of the ones that I’ve reviewed in the past) has been gradually revealing itself over the course of time & Season of Revenge raises the bar significantly on all fronts. The Soul Monsters continue to serve as his in-house production team heavily building a boom bap sound for the album & Vino’s quest for vengeance ultimately fulfills itself.

Score: 3.5/5

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Chuck D – “Radio Armageddon” review

Chuck D is a 64 year old MC, songwriter & producer from Hempstead, New York notable for being the frontman of the seminal political hip hop outfit Public Enemy. In addition to that & his brief time as a co-frontman of the Prophets of Rage, he also has 5 solo efforts under his belt with my favorite being his 1996 debut Autobiography of Mistachuck under Mercury Records. Nearly 3 decades later, the SpitSLAM Records founder’s signing to Def Jam Recordings for his 6th studio LP under his own name with very high potential considering the buildup towards it.

After the titular intro, the first song “What Rock Is” breaks the door down with a boom bap opener produced by C-Doc talking about making the needle in the ghetto stacks bleed from the left to the right whereas “Black Don’t Dead” talks about the fact black doesn’t crack even though they can surely die. “New Gens” featuring Daddy-O finally addresses hip hop’s generational gap that has been a giant elephant in the room for the past decade or so that is until we get tested to a quick “Station Break”.

“Rogue Runnin’” featuring Phill Most Chill moves forward with a chaotic 2-parter talking about ridin’ dirty for over 3 decades already just before “Is God She?” featuring 1/2 Pint & Miranda Writes ponders around the idea of our Lord & Savior being a woman mixing funk music with boom bap. After the “Station Identification” interlude, “Here We Are Heard” by The Impossebulls makes the relatable call to Make Racists Afraid Again while “Superbagg” featuring Blak Madeen talks about being stuck in their ways.

UltraMag7 joins the rhyme animal himself on “Carry On” for a hardcore rap rock banger cursing in your metaverse out of spite for anyone dumbass listening to this thinking he’s woke while “What Are We to You?” mixes politically conscious bars with some aggressive drums & more guitars thrown in the fold. “Slight Story Style Sound” featuring Donald D finds the 2 showing everyone how all 4 elements of hip hop get down & “Signing Off” featuring gangsta rap pioneer Schoolly D feels more like an outro.

Marking the return of the voice that never left, Chuck D unites both hip hop’s pioneers & newer acts who represent the current generation of the culture alike in a fearless soundtrack for the times delivering a seismic broadcast of truth, rhythm & resistance. C-Doc’s production here surpasses The Rhyme Animal’s last couple solo efforts Celebration of Ignorance & We Wreck Stadiums, bridging the gap that has been a blatantly obvious stain for quite some time to make the revolution on wax.

Score: 3.5/5

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