Lorde – “Virgin” review

Lorde is a 28 year old singer/songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand breaking out as an international superstar in the fall of 2013 after signing to Republic Records & putting out her full-length studio debut Pure Heroine many months after the debut of former AEW World Trios Champion, ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion, 2-time IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン & NEVER無差別級チャンピオン Jay White until eventually focusing on her double life in South Park, Colorado as a geologist named Randy Marsh. In all seriousness: Her sophomore effort Melodrama would go on to become the greatest alt-pop album of all-time & Solar Power produced by Jack Antonoff stands as her most polarizing work to this very day, hoping that her 4th LP would recapture the acclaim of her first 2.

“Hammer” fuses alt-pop & electropop with indietronica, Baltimore Club, ghettotech & art pop for an ode to city life & horniness leading into “What Was That?” dabbling with alt-pop, electropop, dance-pop, future garage & synthpop to sing about the aftermath of a breakup. “Shapeshifter” collides alt-pop with a hint of alternative R&B together so she can portray her partner having the ability to transform himself due to mixed signals & misunderstood communication while “Man of the Year” brings some indietronica & singer/songwriter vibes to the the styles of the last track singing about the person she wants to be.

Her relationship with her mother gets touched on during “Favourite Daughter” carrying over the alt-pop & indietronica styles just before “Current Affairs” acoustically samples “Morning Love” by Dexta Daps recalling an experience she had watching Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee’s sex tape under the influence of both ecstasy & psilocybin. “Clearblue” keeps everything stripped back instrumentally to make caution of becoming pregnant following unprotected sex just before “Grown Woman” finds herself back in an alt-pop direction singing about trying to find a mature female in her life for almost 3 decades & counting.

“Broken Glass” hits the final leg of Virgin with a cathartic take on synthpop bringing up the self-hatred Lorde has towards her own image while “If She Could See Me Now” blends alternative R&B & indietronica reflecting on everything that made her the person she is today expressing her hardiness of a past version of herself being happier with her future self. “David” finishes up the album with a minimal direction up until the halfway point where it starts crescendoing asking if she’ll ever love again & feeling as if she doesn’t belong to anybody.

Flicking a light on inside of her in midst of Solar Power’s divisive feedback & her breakup with Justin Warren at the same time, Virgin diverts away from the prominent folk pop sound of her 2021 predecessor in favor of focusing more on what made her break out in the alt-pop subgenre reflecting on her femininity. The secondary influences of indietronica, singer/songwriter, art pop, electropop & alternative R&B in Jim-E Stack’s production pans out more impressively than what the Bleachers spearhead tried to do with indie folk, psychedelic pop, soft rock & indie pop 4 years ago.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bktherula – “Lucy” review

Finally got the 3rd studio album from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Bktherula. Beginning a decade ago as a pop/R&B singer, she eventually broke out in the plugg scene after dropping the single “Tweakin’ Together” produced by my lil homie Premiere Maxx off her debut mixtape Love Santana. This resulted in her signing to Warner Records, following it up with her sophomore tape Nirvana along with the full-length debut Love Black & LVL5. It’s been over a year since LVL5 2 & her label has finally decided now is the time for Lucy to be released.

“DropWhenIDrop” starts with an industrial instrumental flexing that she’s been working her ass off & being in it to win it whereas “LoveSexDreams” produced by Skaiwater talks about wanting to see someone when she said she wasn’t gonna fall in love. “BBGurlGoSlow” featuring Ty$ finds the 2 over a cloudy trap beat 9lives co-produced coming their way after dropping what they want & the lead single “adult swim” bears it’s name after the Discovery Global-owned Cartoon Network late night block, taking it a step further with the Robot Chicken influenced video.

After the “I Feel Like” skit, “Bleht” cooks up a futuristic trap instrumental for Bk to completely spaz out with her flow showing how hard she be going until “Delilah” gets in her petty bag a little looking to take down one of her exes. “Abstract” brings his heavy synthesizers into the fold singing for God to forgive her for her sins cutting them off for a peaceful outro, but then “Euphoria” featuring Joey Bada$$ & KayCyy gets together for well executed pop rap duet & Murda Beatz drawing influences from rock.

“DumbShit” marked the final single that was teased flexing that she’s living life fast letting us all know this is what sounds like whenever her detractors are going through Hell & some of the best adlibs of the LP pop up during “R.I.P. (Rest In Peace)” basically killing off her ego delving back in the rage style. “OCB” fuses hypertrap & pop rap talking about your hoe wanting to be with her instead of you while “PickUpThePhone” goes drumless to pleas for her partner to answer her call.

To kick off the 4th quarter, “No Contact” heavily relies on synths speaking of nightmares when images of her heart on cold pavement come to mind while “Big Feeling” gives off a warm trap feeling talking about having the instinct of others going to hate on her. The final song “LookAlive” ahead of the “I Know” outro properly ties up Lucy by telling her partner she doesn’t feel like she’s loving them right & being on her side whenever they come back.

Birthing a new era in her career, Lucy proves to be the most personal & genre-defying entry in Bk’s discography thus far elevating the potential that was realized when she first got signed several years ago. Once you get past both of the skits & a couple redundant moments during the backend of it, the general sound is more pop rap-driven than the LVL5 series was albeit the rage undertones remain breaking down the topics of ascension & creative awakening.

Score: 4/5

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Jon Connor – “24” review

Flint, Michigan emcee/producer Jon Connor enlisting KLC of the No Limit Records in-house production team Beats by the Pound to produce his 7th studio LP. Someone who’s steadily been holding it down for the last 2 decades including The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. trilogies along with the Best in the World series paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved, returning nearly 6 months since providing Food for the Soul to drop 24.

“1 Time” was an aggressive opener talking about it rappers who’ve got caught up in the clout & forgot to live life putting it up for the real ones whereas “Where You From?” featuring Lil Wyte finds the 2 linking up to tell us what it’s like in Flint & Memphis respectively. “Nothin’ Gon’ Change That” featuring Fiend & Mac throws it back to the No Limit days with it’s horn instrumental separating the real from the fake leading into the funky “Get Right” asking how you were poppin’ bottles if your money ain’t right.

We get a sequel to “Story to Tell” off S.O.S. II: The Road to Legendary produced by MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 recalling a time where he was 13 & KLC giving it a jazzier feel as opposed to the trap sound of the original while “Work” featuring DJ Paul finds the 2 linking up to talk about getting that money over some dirty south shit. “Kings & Queens” featuring Jay Allure reminds me of those collabs Mia X used to do for No Limit just before “Motivated” incorporates these pianos & strings to talk about always staying inspired even when he’s been knocked down.

“Wake Up, Go Hard” featuring Mr. Serv-On gets the final leg of 24 with a dirty south anthem in ode to the everlasting hustle while “The Biggest Flex” featuring Dee-1 gets together for a lead single tryin’ to figure out who you’re frontin’ for. “Black Magic” featuring Enjoy Melody hits us with more No Limit nostalgia reminiscent of Mercedes in this particular instance & “Story Time” closin’ down shop by telling a tale of tragedy ending in gunfire after the opps caught him by surprise.

It’s been no kept secret that Jon has always been heavily influenced by the late 90s run No Limit Records was so to have KLC fully produce an entire body of work from him could more than likely appeal to those who look back fondly during that time period where No Limit was popular enough to have their own faction in WCW when WWE was in the Attitude Era. All that aside: KLC’s production feels like a mix of old & new ideas with Jon’s dream since he was 14 finally coming to fruition as a full circle moment in his career.

Score: 4.5/5

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Kevin Abstract – “blush” review

Here is the 6th solo LP from Corpus Christi rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & director Kevin Abstract. Making his debut over a decade ago in the form of MTV1987, he followed it up 2 years later with the fantastic American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story & rose to stardom as the de facto leader of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective the year after. Both of Kevin’s solo efforts since then ARIZONA baby & The Family were solid although I liked the latter more for it’s chipmunk soul heavy sound. Blanket went for an indie rock direction to quietly end his RCA Records tenure joining X8 Music & Virgin Music, finally putting out blush after teasing it for months.

After the “Introduction” intro, the first song “H-Town” featuring Ameer Vann as well as Love Spells & SoGone SoFlexy finds the quartet over a boom bap instrumental thanking God they’re all still alive today prior to “Copy” featuring Love Spells & SoGone SoFlexy giving off a bit of a psychedelic rock vibe praying their lovers come running back to them & “Danny’s Track” by Danny Brown referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, Real American Beer founder & Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF) co-founder Hulk Hogan.

“Yoko Ono” featuring Love Spells & Makana XO goes drumless with the help of Kiko Merley so the trio can ask what a classic is without a b-side or The Beatles without the late John Lennon’s widow whereas the chaotic “Nola” by Ameer Vann, Drigo, JPEGMAFIA & Love Spells produced by Quadeca references WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle.

Love Spells sticks with Kevin on the Glue outtake “Post Breakup Beauty” that Romil Hemnani co-produced looking back on a relationship that only lasted a mere 9 months & wanting to feel like as if they’re untouchable just before “97 Jag” featuring Love Spells once again finds the pair wishing they would’ve followed their instincts instead of crashing out. “Text Me” could very well be the only song without a guest verse singing over a Sekuo sample of recovering from a breakup for 2 years while “Geezer” marks the new superduo’s introduction with their own eponymous single built around pop rap, indie pop, bedroom pop & boom bap

“I Wasn’t There” by DERBY lets his indietronica/bedroom pop styles flourish for a couple minutes on their own & after the “blush” interlude, “Maroon” by Dominic Fike finds the other half of Geezer asking if his partners can remember a time where he made their face turn brownish-crimson. “Pop Out” by Ameer Vann, Drigo, E Bleu & Love Spells brings an experimental trap flare to the table talking about the bad bitches coming out now that it’s summer, but then “Girlfriend” by Drigo & surprisingly Dr. Dre’s daughter Truly Young links the 2 up talking about having each other.

Kevin jumps back on the mic for “Bloom” featuring Ameer Vann & Love Spells to cook up a melancholic trap cut wanting their lovers to know they’ve been waiting their whole entire lives for them to come in the picture while “Abandon Me” by Quadeca tries to figure out why the individual he has in mind stays by him instead of turning their back on him like everyone else in his life. “Red Light” featuring Ameer Vann ends blush with both BH alumni delivering a perfect fusion of pop rap, alternative R&B & neo-soul limiting their growth for the love of their lives.

“Everybody Plays to Win” featuring Ameer Vann & Love Spells starts the deluxe run asking how they can be forgiven & not fall astray while “Medicine” by Ameer Vann, Drigo & Love Spells links up the 3 over synths & hi-hats feeling like their partners were sent from heaven above. The title track featuring Love Spells talks about fiending for love & others not knowing what they’ve been on while “Fall” gets Kevin handling verses by himself over a cloudy trap beat getting to the bottom of as to why a former friend turned his back on him.

AJ, Ameer Vann, Devanmanleyy, Drigo & Love Spells all clique up during “Don’t Ever Ask No N***a for Some Change” talking about flags they ignore by choice while “Oath” by Ameer Vann & Love Spells rides around town with heaters in their pockets. “MenOnTheMoon” sticks out as another Kevin solo cut jazzily feeling like he’s the only one left of himself while “Moonlight” by Ameer Vann & Love Spells talking about being painted as demons since that’s the way they’re viewed.

“On My Son” reflects on the lessons Kevin’s learned taking another moment all by himself hoping to move the way his family did soon as he wakes up the final bonus track “T.W.N.D. (That’s What N****s Do” featuring Ameer Vann & Truly Young caps off the extra batch of music with them puttin’ these snakes in on their asses if they wanna spaz out getting this money backed by horns & a repetitive Memphis-like vocal flip.

2001 was the first album that I listened to start to finish growing up in the early 2000s so when I heard blush was gonna be Kevin’s answer to that, it immediately had my interest. The final product however has a tad more highs than flaws. I love that the production goes from hip hop to alternative R&B, neo-soul, drumless, experimental hip hop, alt-pop, indietronica, bedroom pop & pop rap in a cohesive manner although the lack of Kevin performances make it feel more like a compilation.

Score: 3.5/5

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Pi’erre Bourne – “Made in Paris” review

South Carolina producer, rapper, songwriter & engineer Pi’erre Bourne finally making up for the 15-month delay of his 4th studio LP. Becoming one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today off Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”, he’s also made a name for himself on the mic by dropping 10 mixtapes as well as a couple EPs & 3 full-length albums. Grails was a short yet highly favorable collection of Pi’erre’s most anticipated solo tracks & with the 2-year anniversary of that passing a couple months back, Interscope Records has at long last allows him to recount a trip to France he made in the form of Made in Paris.

Splitting the intro “Façade” into 2 different sections, the first “Inside” wishes his uncle who did the spoken word intro was still here to see him today & the other “Alone” remembers his late grandmother along with flexing that he has more Soss than Ragu. The warm synthesizers on “Le Vôtre” make for one of my personal favorite instrumentals on the whole entire album talking about 2 hoes never feeling right with him while “Bon Appétit” takes a pop rap turn wanting his partner to eat him alive.

“J.B.H. (Just Being Honest)” featuring Young Nudy pairs the 2 over a syrupy plugg beat feelin’ like people are still doubting them as artists leading into “La Loi, C’est La Loi” trying to tell this woman how much he misses her when she doesn’t wanna hear it over an accordion. “Bleu” hooks up these organs tackling the issue of not knowing he would leave a chick heartbroken after trying to save their love while “Temps de Chasse” talks about not wanting to fuck around with his life anymore & the grass not being as greener on the other side.

The 2nd & final single “Pop” opens up regarding the kind of relationships he’s had in the past blending pop rap & trap with cloud rap while “Retraite” combines the colorfully atmospheric Good Movie outtake “Kit Kat” with an original latter half “Playground” turning up the rage. “En été” digs up these fuzzy synthesizers flexing his gains not that he’s playing his cards right while “Rapunzel” recaptures the themes of lust once again.

“J’adore” addresses his current love life referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle & “Toot It Up” might be my favorite song here only because of the plugg instrumental & NOT because of the Timbaland line due to his ongoing AI tomfoolery.

Reaching the final leg, “Violette” meshes these acoustics & quirky synths with one another making reference to Futurama in light of it’s upcoming 10th season on The Walt Disney Company-owned hulu later this summer until “Blocs” proved to be a fun pop rap/trap lead single talking about being on the block when he was younger. “L’amour” offers a bit of a pluggnb vibe speaking to a woman he seems completely dependent on & “Sait” promises to give his girl everything but a wedding ring.

Recharging from all the traveling & barely getting any sleep in part of making sure the visuals were presented in the best possible way he wanted, Made in Paris pushes Pi’erre back in the spotlight with the most vital album of his career & one that captures his growth more than Good Movie did. Inspired by a trip to Paris a year or 2 ago, he takes some ideas that he’s had going far back as 2019 or presently & uses them together resulting in the most consistent LP in his canon since The Life of Pi’erre 4 & The Life of Pi’erre 5.

Score: 4.5/5

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RMC Mike – “Like Mike” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Flint, Michigan recording artist RMC Mike. Signing a joint deal with Rio da Yung O.G. & Peezy’s own labels M.I.N.E. Entertainment & #Boyz Entertainment alongside EMPIRE Distribution, his first couple EPs Rookie Season & Sophomore Season established himself as in the Detroit trap scene until his full-length studio debut Junior Season elevated it further. His last EP Ghetto Season was good & the sophomore effort Senior Season left me on the fence, coming off a trip to The 6 to brag that nobody can do it Like Mike.

“Devil’s Lake” opens with a Detroit trap intro with strings & bells giving his music career everything in his might whereas “Neat Freak” shows off some secondary Mobb influences to the instrumental detailing his lifestyle. “Duck Hunting” featuring 3200 Tre finds both M.I.N.E. signees teaming up to figure out what those who say they ain’t in for the money are really doing it for leading into YTB Fatt poppin’ out for the underwhelming gangsta rap collab “Drug Bust” despite the Jakesand beat.

Baby Money, Rio da Yung O.G., VonOff1700 & YN Jay all join Mike on the boastful single “Braggin’ Rights” although I can do without Von’s verse right in the middle of it just before “Chicken Box” produced by Danny G talks about not wanting to hear of the things you couldn’t have, wouldn’t have or shouldn’t have done. “Slam Cam” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. references WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE world champion, ECW World Television Champion, 6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 4-time & the final WWE Hardcore Champion, TNA World Champion & TNA X Division Champion Rob Van Dam while “Keep It Honest” by admitting he feels alone even if he’s not the only one in the ride.

“Brody crazy with the chopper like he autistic” makes for one of the wildest bars ever during the last 30 seconds or so of “Authentic” wanting to talk business with anyone who has a plug prior to “Music Is Never Ending” creating a brand new acronym for the 1 of the 2 labels he’s signed to. “We the Ones” brings the bells back in the equation laughing off the wankstas who ain’t ever dropped a body except “Damn Baby” as a finisher felt like a mediocre look at his preference in women who get lit.

Wouldn’t have thought that we would get Like Mike this quickly after The 6 since it’s been a couple months tops, but I still consider it to be a worthy album & probably my favorite of Mike’s. Regardless if I prefer The World Famous D-Boy’s production on the most recent EP, there are some striking similarities both projects share with the biggest one being that there are only a couple guest performances I could do without. A key difference however is Mike speaking his truth the whole time rather than taking us around The 6.

Score: 3.5/5

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Hardrock – “Slimyfella” review

In front of us is the 4th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Hardrock. Getting his start over 2 years ago off his debut EP Y.N.S. (Young N***a Shit), he would continue to build up anticipation by delivering 6 more EPs ahead of the commercial debut LP Next! & the breakout sophomore effort 808 Speaker Knockerz. The latter of which contains some of his best tracks to date like “H.Y.L.M.N.? (How You Like Me Now)”, “Madonna”, “New WRLD” & “Luigi Mansion”. The last album 1of1 matched the caliber of it’s predecessor & Slimyfella has finally arrived following the prelude My Gift to You immediately after signing to Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic Records.

“New Level” hops on top of a rage beat out the gate to talk about bossing up tremendously in the 14 months since we’ve last heard from him whereas “Watch Out” pulls from hypertrap once more talking about pullin’ up with them killas. “Biggest Soldier” produced by Devstacks proved to be the most reasonable choice as the sole single during the rollout to drum up anticipation hooking up these synthesizers & hi-hats to throw opps in the wild leading into “Slide” flexing about the body he just caught on camera.

Meanwhile on “Get Go”, we have Hardrock airing out the people who’ve been plotting on him from the very beginning while “Blood Sweat Tears” turns the bass up extremely high to talk about being timeless & putting his all into this music shit unlike those who ain’t making it out the hood. “They Know” shows a hypertrap influence again promising to live by the code & die by it maintaining the roll he’s been on unbeknownst to others prior to “Gimmie Dat” going for a plugg direction to talk about knowing people who want the whole loaf of bread.

“Disgusting” show off how filthy his pockets have been in the past few years with another plugg instrumental making it’s way to the fold while “Hot” ends the first half of Slimyfella working his thumbs by twisting his fingers counting his bands. “Mr. Spendalot” kicks off the 2nd leg of the LP with some peppy synthesizers talking about being the type to blow a bag until “Bloody Seats” references the late CFFC fighter Kimbo Slice who briefly fought in the UFC during the hook.

Nosaint & Toom of Vanguard Music Group help turn the rage back up in full effect during the standout “De La Cruz” smoking big blunts because he ain’t a rookie, but then “Solid” keeps it rollin’ by waking up & getting right to it. “Familia” kinda has this quirky trap edge to it declaring the squad as his real family in addition to asking for his pedigree to be checked while “Heaven (007)” hazily compares himself to James Bond.

“Koko” bombastically pushes forward boasting about his lifestyle while “No Time” with Y3rip & n9ck cloudily looks get the bags poppin’ the second he gets up. “Slime Stroll” gives regalia a shot doing what he does since he’s a boss acknowledging everyone out in the streets speaking cocky on him & “Cold Stare” caps it off with a synth-driven trap closer talking about not going anywhere without his finger on the trigger.

Catching on to him right when he started blowing up a few summers ago, it pains me to say that I found myself liking Slimyfella less than his last couple projects & it could be the most divisive offering in his discography. Although I love that he got Vanguard to oversee it & the engineering has improved greatly compared to his earlier material, it feels like it runs a little longer than it should’ve been.

Score: 3/5

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Nezzy – “Worm Food” review

Sandusky, Ohio emcee/producer Nezzy back with his 3rd studio LP nearly 10 months since the last one. Emerging within the underground in 2022 off his first 2 EPs Subject to Change & Pyramids, he went on to follow this up by releasing the debut album Hippie Thug in the subsequent spring & his 3rd EP New World Disorder in the fall. His sophomore effort Hall of Infamy came last summer the week following him opening for Psychopathic Records alumni Anybody Killa & DJ Clay at the co-headlined Welcome Home Party, getting another summer in effect by dropping Worm Food.

After the titular intro, the first song “Tha Boogeyman” kicks the door down with a hardcore boom bap opener promising to show you the ropes if you don’t understand it whereas “Ohio State of Mind” featuring Copywrite finds the 2 linking up to rep their home state with secondary rap rock influences. “Nezferatu” produced by Hobgoblin sticks out from the creepy boom bap instrumental to Nezzy’s bloodthirsty lyrics just before “Toyz in the Attic” recalls a time where he wanted to kill the man who sexually took advantage of his sister & with every reason in the world.

“Death of a Poet” featuring Psyonik works in a crooning soul sample from Jamil Honesty so they can make a blueprint & devise off it but after the “By Any Meanz” skit, “‘68 Grand Prix” takes it back to the basement with a siren raising boom bap beat & boastful lyricism. The instrumental on “Alakazam” sounds like it was flipped from a horror film soundtrack & drums added on to pull tricks out his sleeve while “Shark Fin Soup” unleashes stored anger with his pen over some pianos.

We have Nezzy promising that he’ll live forever through his discography & giving it “Raw ‘n’ Uncut” over a mobster-like sample until “Necron 99” after the “Huey Freeman” skit recites his soul to the microphone making better use of his days instead of being incarcerated counting down his release. “Trigger Warning” nears the final moments with another favorite of mine where he & Johnny Slash laugh off how sensitive everyone is & “Spittin’ Image” flexes his pen 1 last time.

Almost a year since the Halls of Infamy were explored, Nezzy’s distinct blend of hardcore vulgar references & deeply introspective conscious rap full of uncompromising rhyme schemes & thought-provoking choice of words gets pushed to newer heights with what he’s been calling the finest work of his career. Rightfully so too since his sword’s sharper than ever & the boom bap production feels rawer.

Score: 4/5

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Benson Boone – “American Heart” review

Benson Boone is a 22 year old singer/songwriter from Monroe, Washington garnering the attention of Warner Records following “Ghost Town” going viral. Introducing herself to a wider audience off both her EPs Walk Me Home… & Pulse, his inaugural full-length Fireworks & Rollerbladesmarked a poorly received debut in terms of the pop rock style & his follow-up here has been generating a lot of attention from critics & fans so much that I had to give it a listen to hear what made it so appealing.

“Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” was a mediocre pop rock single to start my off with further showing influences of big music & new wave addressing a former lover whereas “Mr. Electric Blue” sings about his father disrespecting the progressive pop rock band Electric Light Orchestra, who influenced a personal favorite artist of mine in KiD CuDi. “Man in Me” overloads this synth-heavy breakup letter with so much melodrama where it gets annoying after a short & “Mystical Magical” easily sticks out amongst the absolute worst songs I’ve heard all year making the late Olivia Newton-John roll in her grave.

Reaching the halfway point of this torturous listening experience, “Reminds Me of You” makes me miss Bruno Mars in light of 24K Magic turning 10 next fall & of course the Silk Sonic album An Evening with Silk Sonic. “Momma Song” was a disappointingly tiring adult contemporary single dedicated to his mother doing piano & symphonic rock little to no favors leading into “I Wanna Be the One You Call” redundantly exemplifying why it should’ve been on the cutting room floor & Malay’s involvement disappoints because of his production on the best alternative R&B album of all-time in Frank Ocean’s sophomore effort blond right above The Weeknd’s mixtape trilogy.

“Wanted Man” feels like him taking a giant shit on glam rock which the late David Bowie defined with his 1972 magnum opus The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars followed by “Take Me Home” homaging the EP that broke him out as a star except it underwhelmingly asks to be kissed like the old days. “Young American Heart” finally finishes this shitty album with him & recalling a time where he & his best friend felt limitless & indestructible.

Said to be inspired by heartland rock pioneer Bruce Springsteen & the Americana subgenre of country music, Benson Boone’s sophomore effort feels utterly commercialized to the point where you’d hear it in a dressing room of a store like Kohl’s instead of a generational attempt of solidifying himself as a successor to pop rock alongside adult contemporary & new wave doing the bare minimum of justice to every individual who’s brought out the good of all those styles making them what they are now.

Score: 1/5

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Nick Grant – “I Took It Personal” review

Nick Grant is a 36 year old MC from Atlanta, Georgia emerging in 2016 off his debut mixtape ‘88 along with the Epic Records-backed debut album Return of the Cool. His next tape Dreamin’ Out Loud would prelude the acclaimed God Bless the Child produced by Tae Beast of the Top Dawg Entertainment in-house production team Digi+Phonics, which later led to Carolina Diaries & Welcome to Loveland. A year & half since Sunday Dinner however, I Took It Personal has finally arrived a week after its initial release date.

“Unforgettable” sets the tone with a piano/boom bap hybrid sprinkling remnants of the past in his music testifying to the legacy he’s already established for himself whereas “Let It Reign / Read Your Contract” gets split into a soulful first half boasting that everything he writes murders & the other lamenting his time being on a major label including giving advice to anyone who wants to get signed basing it from his own experiences with Grand Hustle Records & later Epic.

The soul sample on “Do You Love Me?” fits the whole theme of love telling his girl that she’s the very reason he bosses up & he’s the realest out of all the fish in the sea leading into “Big Tymers” talking about there not being any other better story than the underdog. “Pass It Out / House Calls” serves as another 2-parter cloudily looking to chalk out his competition during the first half & the other talking about there being a problem if the dogs get called.

Chipmunk soul & boom bap get fused during “The Ritual” boasting that he’s the very reason why the matrix is glitching at the moment just before “No Apologies” belittles everyone who relies on ghostwriters over a jazzy yet soulful instrumental. “Love for the Mob” finds himself keeping it p & moving in silence like psalms showing off some killer wordplay while “The Pride” talks about joking a lot with his girl & still getting deep with her.

“Back Home” experiments with sample drill a bit reflecting on going major now & getting it out the mud when he started while “Product, User, Dealer” talks about making your favorite MC relapsing snorting lines again on top of observation the treachery of them street corners. Moving on from there, “Something to Sei” tackles a kind of love Nick feels should be illegal considering he was selling merch to give her heaven on earth.

The song “Nothing’s Free” brings a darker trap atmosphere to the table blending these hi-hats & ominous piano chords together until a symphonic switch up halfway through saying that America’s eating it’s babies when that couldn’t be any more true while “It Ain’t Personal” caps off the LP with 1 last soul sample chop making y’all think somebody filming him the way he’s shooting muhfuckas.

God Bless the Child was what renewed my interest in Nick during a rough time period in the lives of many & now that we’re pretty much halfway through the decade, I Took It Personal surpasses Return of the Cool as his strongest full-length & I feel like lot of people can learn a few things from it if you want to get involved with the music business. He’s laying out every experience he’s had in the industry whether it be good or bad & the production could be his most eclectic showing influences of boom bap, trap, jazz rap, chipmunk soul, cloud rap & sample drill.

Score: 4/5

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