Tag: album review

Rome Streetz – “Hatton Garden Holdup” review

New York lyricist Rome Streetz enlisting Daringer for his 9th studio LP. Emerging in 2016 off his debut mixtape I Been Thru Mad Shit, this was followed up by a plethora of projects with the most notable being the Noise Kandy tetralogy & Headcrack. These past couple years however we’re probably his biggest ones yet, as he dropped some of the best work of his career from the DJ Muggs-produced Death & the Magician or the Futurewave-produced Razor’s Edge to the Ransom-assisted collab effort Coup de Grâce & the Griselda Records deal that followed. His debut with the Buffalo powerhouse Kiss the Ring alongside the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced Wasn’t Built in a Day both made the top 10 spots of my last couple Best Of lists & I had no doubt Hatton Garden Holdup would do the same coming off the 5th & final installment of the Noise Kandy series.

“Ace of Base” starts us off by stripping the drums completely detailing his expertise in the drug game whereas “Starbvxkz” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talking about this shit being a cakewalk to him. “Sage” featuring ScHoolboy Q finds the 2 linking up so they can coldly talk about being married to the game leading into “Drive By” going drumless again providing the theme music to firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle & then fleeing.

Meyhem Lauren joins Rome on “Cadillac Smoke” working in some kicks, snares & even a vibraphone leaving everyone in the morgue frozen every time they hop on the mic just before “100 Schemes” maintains a gritty boom bap flare cautioning to not let anyone fuck you over in this industry, but then “Spike” samples are off music once again dissing those who’ve been at the same spot for so damn long.

“Pro Tro” featuring Conway the Machine brings the kicks & snares back in the equation flexing that both of them were destined to score while “Weight of the World” featuring Cormega finds the 2 dustily raising Hell in the midst of being on a paper trail. “Jimi’s Headband” eerily talks being an amazing artist that started out as a Street Fighter while “SpaceX” named after the space technology company founded by Tesla CEO, Neuralink co-founder & Twitter owner Elon Musk aggressively declares himself a champ like WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The track “Reap What You Sow” pushes towards the conclusion of Hatton Garden Holdup boasting that his money so big to the point where he can’t fold it on top of seeing shit that made his heart freeze as a result of him never selling his soul with the tons of dope during his street days & finally, “Heavy Traffic” finishes Rome’s masterpiece by hopping over 1 more boom bap beat to paint images of the gangsta lifestyle.

Most people who’ve been keeping up with me throughout of the year probably know I have Benny the Butcher’s latest Def Jam debut Everybody Can’t Go as my favorite album of 2024 & as I had expected, Hatton Garden Holdup surpasses. From the perfectly articulate lyricism that Rome Streetz is known for to Daringer’s signature production & the high-profile guests, all 3 factors combined make for a perfect 42 minute listening experience.

Score: 5/5

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Twisted Insane – “Halfway Gone” review

San Diego, California chopper as well as horrorcore veteran & Brainsick Muzik founder Twisted Insane kicking off the Halloween season by dropping his 17th studio LP. Writing his first rhyme at the age of 12, he would go on to put out 5 mixtapes & a couple full-lengths until he was featured on the Tech N9ne single “Worldwide Choppers”. The Root of All Evil & The Insane Asylum further elevated his status in the underground, maintaining a consistent schedule since dropping 13 more albums in the process. Halfway Gone though was said to be the deepest creation yet & had serious potential of becoming a discography highlight.

The title track has this interesting, guitar-driven trap instrumental throughout assuring that he’s here although half of him feels as if he isn’t whereas “External Wounds” works in a darker riff tone & hi-hats to talk about mental health pleading to get out of his life since he don’t need this shit. “So Far Ahead” maintains a gritty trap vibe boasting the fact that he’s ahead of the curve of everyone else that is until Swisher Sleep joins him on the somber “Memory” crushingly remembers his child who died after someone hit the street in the middle of a drive-by.

Continuing the series of tracks that began on his Hell’s Kitchen mixtape in the form of a 2-parter, “Blackout 4” expressing his desire to experience a sudden & temporary loss in consciousness while the acoustic “Tailspin” sings about being in a state of chaos, panic or loss of control. “Jesus” gets in his chopper bag for 3 & a half minutes speeding up his flows nonchalantly accompanied by some beat switches, but then “Motel 6” showcases more sung vocals detailing him getting drunk at the titular motel chain.

“1 Foot in the Grave” goes for an uncanny trap approach instrumentally talking about not asking him to stay since he’s close to dying anyway just before “Growin’ Up” featuring Fase 1 finds the pair vulnerably giving us a look at what it was like for both of them being raised in the southeast. “Wings” is a crucial highlight sending 1 out for everyone who’s still shrouded in darkness over a guitar/trap crossover leading into “Left Behind” featuring C. Ray talking about the type of people who want to see 2 of the biggest Brainsick artists forgotten.

One of the most personal moments on Halfway Gone would easily be “KJ” telling his son who no longer lives with him to pop him on his line anytime he wants to while “OT-IZ-UM” continues the theme of fatherhood grimly singing about having an autistic child himself. “N.T.S. 2 (Night Time Shit 2)” happens to be an amazing sick world to one of my all-time favorite Twisted Insane songs reiterating that he loves the dark & writes his best music when he’s in it while “Back When” feels like he hit rock bottom with nothing more to gain during the pager days.

“Botched” featuring Kamikazi gets the encore of Halfway Gone rollin’ wanting to know exactly why women nowadays seek validation as much as they do while “Same” featuring C. Ray reunites the 2 talking about still being the exact same muhfuckas they were when they first started out. “1 Trick Pony” sings over a guitar addressing those who say that’s all he’ll ever be when he proved them wrong & “Endgame” perfectly closes the LP searching for the final stage of his life.

In the ongoing series of albums that Twisted Insane’s been working on where they all sound completely different from one another, his 2nd offering of 2024 surpasses the west coast gangsta rap heavy predecessor from this summer Shoot for the Face 2.5 in favor of the deepest & most emotional music he’s ever made period. It’s something that would change the lives of many in their darkest moments since the west coast MC uses his own life experiences to help others cope with the hardships they face.

Score: 4.5/5

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Joey Cool – “Roller Coaster” review

Kansas City, Missouri emcee Joey Cool making his 8th studio LP a double-disc effort. Starting out as a long-time affiliate of local independent hip hop powerhouse Strange Music dropping a total of 4 mixtapes & a studio album on his own until Tech N9ne decided to officially sign him to the Snake & Bat in 2017, he then dropped an eponymous sophomore album the next spring followed by Old Habits Die Hard as well as Coolie High & I Tried to Be Normal Once. Coming off The Chairman of the Board & the Mario Casalini-produced Enjoy the View however, the Swankiest of Strangeland is taking us on a Roller Coaster.

After the “Poor Sinner’s Hand” intro, the first song “Madhouse” sets the Roller Coaster in motion with an atmospheric trap instrumental talking about Satan making him crash out spazzing whereas “Commotion” works in more of a robotic beat allowing Joey to break down, just exactly how he was made. “Heart” featuring Doobie & produced by C-Lance interestingly has this grotesque trap sound flexing he can drop a bag & it’ll still follow him since he lookin’ like he hit the lottery, but then the cloudy “Out the Way” talks moving surgically as opposed to being merciful.

“Drippin’ 3” explosively picks up right where “Drippin’ 2” from the Swank Sinatra mixtape left off reuniting with Mario Casalini telling y’all to catch him outside with the swank leading into “Indecisive” pulling inspiration from the hyphy scene instrumentally describing a woman as being inconclusive pleading for her to actually make up her mind. “Trouble Town” featuring Lil Wyte hooks up a guitar & hi-hats suggesting to let the world burn since there’s no looking back just before “Give Thanks” featuring The Popper finds both KC spitters praising the higher power over a thunderous trap beat.

The 5th & final single “OG Cool” concludes Disc 1 by having Wyshmaster lace Joey with a rubbery instrumental all in his zone hitting his stride & after the “Price of Admission” intro, “G.O.Y.F. (Get Out Your Feelings)” featuring X-Raided starts Disc 2 with both Strange Music artists over pianos & hi-hats telling everyone listening to do exactly that. “I Sent the Text” is a decent, auto-tune heavy pop rap joint meaning no disrespect to the woman he texted & made this very track about while “Static” marks an energetic trap turn likening this to all of his powers assembling.

“Parlez Vous” is this organ/hi-hat crossover that Lowkey tha Wizard of the unConventionAl KingZ cooked up spitting the gospel while “Vibe Check” refers to himself as the cream of the crop over more hyphy production. “Sail Away” featuring Ubiquitous finds the 2 trying to take their time on top of this guitar/trap fusion with Matt Phoenix on the hook while “The Fuse” finds him on the verge of exploding over horns. “Slow Down” smoothly tells his girl to take things in their relationship slowly remaining the man even if he ain’t rich as she thought he was and “Crawl Space” featuring Tech N9ne reaches the end of the ride with a trap metal closer feeling on the edge.

All 8 of the new joints that Joey gave us off the deluxe version of what’s easily the most emphatic offering of his career Enjoy the View back March unquestionably could’ve made it onto the final product that celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary almost a couple weeks ago but either way, it was a dope way to hold us off until he took us on a Roller Coaster trip full of all the twists & turns, ups & downs you can expect from an elite MC on his level of skill.

Score: 3.5/5

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ClockworC – “Have a Vice Life” review

ClockworC is a 34 year old MC & producer from Gilroy, California who caught my attention is 1/2 of Gorilla Voltage formerly The Damn Dirty Apes with Mr. Grey putting out their last 2 full-lengths Ape-X and more specifically Gods & Claws through Majik Ninja Entertainment until going on a hiatus that surprisingly ended last weekend. Clock has since formed the MC/producer duo Them Chains with Tomás Carrillo dropping a handful of singles as a unit & is now releasing a full-length solo debut studio album that he mostly produced by himself other than 2 tracks.

The self-produced title track kicks things off perfectly with a settle beat telling us that you can have a vice life just like him especially after everything he’s been through whereas “Critical” takes the soulful trap route instrumentally wanting y’all to let him know when to go since he been too far gone. “Boomstick” marks a turn into boom bap territory to talk about living lawlessly while “‘Til the Sky Turns Black” promises to live every day like it’s the last pretty much.

Moving forward from there, “Get Lost” gives off a bit of a rap rock vibe to the beat making it clear he doesn’t want to be found if he winds up lost just before the catchy “Down” admits to feeling like dancing on landmines pleading not to stand by. Them Chains reunite for a brief moment with the dreary trap banger “Keanu” talking about wanting everyone on the pronto leading into “The Menu” returns to the boom bap so he can tell everyone who isn’t going up so long.

“Can’t Lose” featuring 4toda5to is this decently slick rap rock cut with both of them refusing to stop while “Pain” featuring C-Mob offers the best guest verse of the 2 on the LP as they passionately want to let everyone listening feel the pain that they’ve experienced. “Hilarious” ends Have a Vice Life by reassuring everyone that he’ll be laughing until they bury him since there’s no need to cry whatsoever going forward.

As someone who’s been following him since the GV days during the Christmas of 2016 where it was announced that they had signed to MNE, hearing that Clock mostly produced this all by myself increased my anticipation for it & it’s some of the most personal music of his entire career. It’s a good mix of boom bap & trap, reserving a few guests to join him in at showing a vulnerable side to him.

Score: 4/5

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Tommy Richman – “Coyote” review

Tommy Richman is a 24 year old singer/songwriter & rapper from Woodbridge, Virginia who began making music in 2016 by releasing his debut single “Ballin’ Stallin’” on SoundCloud & Spotify respectively. He even has 3 EPs under his belt already with Paycheck as well as Alligator & The Rush, the latter of which caught the attention of Brent Faiyaz who in turn made Tommy the first signee to his newly formed ISO Supremacy imprint. Coming off 2 of the biggest songs of the summer however, Tommy’s ready to let his full-length debut studio album out a week after fall began.

“Elephant in the Room” works in some synthesizers to get the ball rollin’ melodically talkin’ about being back on his own & the fear of being thrown away whereas “Whitney” crosses over contemporary R&B & synth-funk asking why things get odd if we really are made in God’s image. “Temptations” gives off a bit of a disco vibe instrumentally discussing his dream to get some salt leading into “Whisper in My Ear” going for a laidback approach singing about wishing that they could live forever.

As for “Give It All”, we have Tommy over this groovy ass beat expressing his desire to give everything he’s got into the current relationship that he’s in just before “Tennessee” featuring Trevor Spitta & Zachary Moon finds the 3 over a Mobb-flavored instrumental to sing about wanting to see these models poppin’ ass. “Thought You Were the One” fuses contemporary R&B, trap soul, synth-funk, alternative R&B, Mobb music & phonk addressing a woman who isn’t on the same page as him prior to the funky “Letterman” singing about sex until 5am.

“Green Therapy” hooks up some pianos & crooning background vocals picking up the the pieces & having to set the tone after leaving home for a long time while “Vanity” serves as this 6 minute throwback to the 80s singing that he doesn’t know what she’s done or been through, even going as far as convincing her to face it all by coming clean & telling him. “seems like time moves forever” featuring mynameisntjmack officially closes out Tommy’s debut with an R&B/hip hop duet talking about time moving eternally.

The first of 2 bonus tracks “$1M Baby” is easily one of my favorite songs of the year blending contemporary R&B, synth-funk, phonk, Memphis rap, Mobb music & dirty south altogether achieving his goal of making it in the industry, represent his home state of Virginia & discusses the importance of staying out of trouble on the way to achieving your goals & knowing what you’re worth while the other “Devil is a Lie” instrumentally pays homage to my favorite production duo The Neptunes with it’s hip hop soul, synth-funk & dirty south sound singing about his success & not letting anyone or anything preventing him from accomplishing it.

Tommy’s creativity was what led both bonus cuts that I previously mentioned launching him into mainstream popularity during the 2nd quarter of 2024 & even if they were left off the final version of Coyote since art lasts forever compared to vitality coming & going, what he gives us here still exemplifies that he’s very much here to stay. He shows off his versatility pulling from a myriad of sounds including contemporary R&B, trap soul, synth-funk, alternative R&B, Mobb music, phonk, dirty south, hip hop soul & Memphis rap with his Day 1s letting his fans know that success in the industry really is possible.

Score: 3.5/5

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Cody Manson – “Double Cups & Demons” review

Cleveland, Ohio emcee Cody Manson is back for his 3rd LP. For the last few years now, he’s been on one Hell of a meteoric rise in the underground whether it be him signing to Lyrikal Snuff Productionz or dropping his full-length debut Psychoactive on Christmas Day a few years back to widespread acclaim & the sophomore effort E=MC Skelter proved to be his very own classic. Cody unfortunately fell out with Ouija Macc at the beginning of 2024 which caused some 17%ers to turn their back on him immediately, but I still wanted to give Double Cups & Demons a shot since he remains a standout on the LSP roster.

The title track featuring Keith Stoned starts with chimes & hi-hats to tell us the only 2 things they’ve been seeing as of late whereas “Troublesome” also featuring Keith Stoned offers another trap vibe with a dark atmosphere showing off their disruptive tendencies. “They Love to Hate Me” produced by Stir Crazy stands as a highlight for me personally with it’s trap metal instrumental addressing the hate he’s been getting this year just before “27 Club” featuring Jamie Madrox & Keith Stoned hops over this off-the-wall beat from $crim of the $uicideboy$ referencing the list of celebrities who’ve died at 27 although Jamie out-rapped Keith in my opinion.

“Feel Like Dying” featuring a standout feature for Majik Ninja Entertainment’s head of graphic design Insane E & of course Keith Stoned finds the trio over dull trap production explaining that they themselves feel like they’re on the verge of death even though they kinda enjoy it on top of Insane E providing another high quality guest appearance much like Jamie’s while the solemn “100K” proves to be another standout giving a middle finger to friends preferably tryna touch that exact amount of money instead prior to the sinister trap joint “Shooters” featuring fellow LSP artist Claas showing off their mob ties.

Meanwhile on “Never Too Much”, we have Cody talking about doing too much & never enough giving off this bassy trap approach instrumentally leading into the introspective “All My Life” with it’s blissful musical backdrop that Charlie Beans provides striving when people have hated on him forever. “Limitless” featuring Keith Stoned radiates a dreary trap tone to the beat feeling like both of them are boundless while “Blood Money” featuring Bonez Dubb, Doc Gruesome, Gorilla Pimp & Keith Stoned serves as a decent 5 minute posse cut.

Danny Diablo joins Cody for the Memphis flavored “F.A.B. (Fuck a Bitch)” setting out to set the worlds of their detractors on fire completely while “Born Evil” featuring Keith Stoned clashes these guitars & hi-hats together staying high when they’re alone regardless if it doesn’t help them at all. “Scars” fuses grunge with trap encouraging everyone listening to remember exactly who the fuck you ate & “Sulfur” bombastically ends the LP politicking with the demons in his basement.

I’ve always shown love & support to both Cody Manson & Ouija Macc, so it’s a shame that neither of them are on good terms. Now do I think Double Demons & Demons is the best album that Cody’s ever done? No, I still very much have E=MC Skelter on top of the throne as far as that conversation goes. That said, it’s still not a bad listen. The features are hit or miss, the sounds he’s experimenting with are potently detailed & the Trife Life general’s letting off the steam that’s building up throughout 2024.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ouija Macc – “Psycho Babbel” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Las Vegas 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 3 full-lengths, 2 greatest hits compilations, 8 mixtapes & 5 EPs all in the span of nearly 7 years. He even started his own label Chapter 17 Records & made the big homie HEXXX the first signee to putting out his first 2 classic west coast wicked shit albums Demon Season & Tales of a Cursed G before amicably fulfilling all contractual obligations with the Psychopathic subsidiary last fall. Darby O’Trill is now the only C17 artist other than Ouija, teaming up with each other back in April for the excellent collab effort Anemoia & is coming off the darccest material of his career Darcc Planet to release Psycho Babbel coinciding the announcement of Psychopathic Records’ upcoming Train of Terror Tour with a livestreamed JCW Lunacy show.

“Maxwell House” ponders if the signal goes beyond what we know over a cold trap instrumental from none other than Devereaux saying this ain’t for the bustas whereas “Clown Curse” takes more of a hypnotically bassy trap route to the beat talking about having the curse of the wicced clown. “Kicc da Wiccit” throws it back to the days of Dr. Dre’s debut album The Chronic with it’s g-funk sound kiccin’ da wiccit shit as appropriately titled, but then “Absent Minded” offers a morbid trap flare haunting the beat like a fuckin’ ghost wanting to know where his mind went.

On the single “Fire Buggalo” released earlier this week with footage of Ouija’s performance at this year’s Gathering of the Juggalos, we have Ouija himself talking about burning shit down over a grisly backdrop with hi-hats courtesy of both Brian Kuma & Devereaux just before “‘86 from da Mall” eerily paying homage to the Memphis scene declaring himself as the new Esham, giving his flowers to his 3-Headed Monster counterpart along with Violent J. “Delusions” uncannily discusses the results of such to pure psychosis prior to the unsettling “A New Rune Cometh” cautioning to listen to the morals being told.

“Hell Raiser” featuring Darby O’Trill gives off a trap metal vibe boasting that the bands you’re flexing on Instagram isn’t even a lot pleading to do everyone a favor by fixing your face with a straight razor leading into “The Great Fall” gets in his storytelling bag explaining to us all how the floor started to crack in the midst of him chillin’ on his couch. “Ain’t It Mane” cloudily throws up his set showing disregard as to what they say while “Another Summer” talks about spending the titular season in Hell’s Pit of The Wraith.

Starting the final leg, “Hatchet on my Dresser” once again gives C17’s respect to the Memphis hip hop scene representing Psychopathic as always while the trippy “Let’s Just Ride” assures that everything’s ok. “B.I.D.N.G.A.F. (Bitch I Do Not Give A Fucc)” aggressively reassures that he gives 0 while “Pazuzu” named after Professor Farnsworth’s gargoyle in Futurama blends sampling & hi-hats causin’ a ruckus. “Summoning da Mane” ends on a darkly charming note talking about people knowing his name.

Only been a little over a couple months since Darcc Planet quickly became my favorite Ouija Macc album behind Stalewind, he maintains the consistent grind that he’s always had balancing quantity & quality except that I’ve been well-documenting his artistic evolution in the last 5 years since Resistance: The Walk to Wasteland & his evolution continues to reveal itself. You still get the Insane Clown twist on the SoundCloud trap aesthetics mixed with the recent trap metal sounds & even giving g-funk a shot for the new wave of juggalos that he forefronts.

Score: 4.5/5

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Consequence – “Nice Doing Business with You” review

Consequence is a 47 year old MC & songwriter from Queens, New York notable for being the cousin of Q-Tip as well as appearing on nearly half of A Tribe Called Quest’s 4th album Beats, Rhymes & Life. He later went on to release a total of 8 mixtapes before one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye formerly known as Kanye West signed him to a joint deal with G.O.O.D. Music & Columbia Records for the well-received debut album Don’t Quit Your Day Job! in the spring of 2007, going on to drop 5 more tapes & an EP since then. An official sophomore effort following up Don’t Quit Your Day Job! has been teased since the summer of 2022 & now we’re finally getting it after almost 2 & a half years.

The self-produced “Can’t Give Up” happens to be a genuinely impressive opener classily refusing to give up & continuing to push forward whereas “No Apologies” featuring Ye works in a boom bap instrumental so they can talk about how they ended up making millions. “Blood Stain” delves into the chipmunk soul that Ye helped pioneer with co-production from YZY SND Head of Music 88-Keys flexing superstardom in the hood while “The Chase 3” featuring Caiden the Crown picks up where Cons’ b-sides with ATCQ left off although I prefer both it’s predecessors.

Former G.O.O.D. Music in-house producer Keezo Kane reunites with Ray Tip on “Love You So” embracing the chipmunk soul vibes once again telling his partner why he loves her as much as he does just before the synth-driven “Overdose” talks about us going too far & the YNW Melly feature feels absolutely pointless. “Free the Guys” speeds up the soul samples again wanting more change while “I’ll Be Loving You” sensually gets back on the romantic tip.

“Relationship Advice” featuring a spoken word interlude from Chris Rock pushes towards the end of Nice Doing Business with You by jazzily asking why he doesn’t free & “Spaghetti” featuring Ye’s cousin as well as fellow early G.O.O.D. Music alumni Tony Williams of the Sunday Service Choir finishes the album maintaining the jazz rap influences from the previous cut pleading to the higher power to take him higher.

I’ve always respected Cons for his history with Tribe & G.O.O.D. Music even if I think he kisses Ye’s ass more than anyone. That said: i’d be lying if I said that this is better than the 2016 EP & debatably the most I’ve enjoyed something from him in 17 years. The production compared to his subsequent mixtapes & EP combined see high quality improvements, a vast majority of the guests manage to stick the landing performance-wise & Consequence himself sounds a lot more focused.

Score: 3.5/5

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TR Dee – “Evolution” review

This is the 3rd full-length studio LP from Detroit rapper TR Dee. Notable for being 1/3 of the ShittyBoyz alongside Babytron & Stanwill signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he also began carving a path for himself as a solo artist off his first couple mixtapes Trapped in My Bag & Made for This ahead of his debut album M.I.P. (Most Improved Player). He has since given us 5 more tapes in Trapped in My Bag 2, Crunch Time, Ice Trae, Trapped in My Bag 3 & Early Mornings, Late Nights followed by the sophomore effort The Greatest until it was time for the next Evolution.

“2 Steps” hooks up a soothing sample & rattling hi-hats to get things going talking about his future looking tropical since nobody else been able to fuck with the Dog $hit Militia while “Rain on Me” cavernously discusses being in the midst of a storm. “Stars” samples “The Body” by Wale owing the fact that he doesn’t flex a lot to remaining humble just before the calm “Summer Fling” talks about some things never changing.

The sampling continues on “Passport” encouraging listeners to grab their travel documents since they heading out of the country whereas the title track flips “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper thanks to Danny G talking about his growth in the last 5 years that he’s been in the game. “2050” has a dancier flare to the beat telling us he’s living a little over a quarter of a century in the future leading into synth-driven “Goated” talking about being one of the best.

“Love No Thotti3s” makes it abundantly clear over a lightheartedly carefree Detroit trap instrumental that he has absolutely no love for thots at all, but then “Favorite Pastor” officially closes out the first half of TR Dee’s Evolution hoping that he gets his flowers by the time he’s ready to hang up the mic for good & call it a career chopping up soul samples. “Role Modelz” sets out to grind for a couple millions putting his family on & giving back to the youth while the tense “Crashout Music” serves as the theme song for people to legit crash out to.

Meanwhile on “TR Dee Type Beat” produced by Jakesand, we have TR himself boasting that he’s hotter than an oven ridin’ around with 4 sticks taking the Detroit trap sound & giving it a lavish edge prior to “Top Dawg” featuring Stanwill demonstrating a back-&-forth chemistry between the 2 for only 110 seconds. “Double Double” grimly talks about knowing the opps were coming when they were out of plain sight & “Triple Double” laces these prominent bells making an expensive puddle.

“Kill the Game” boasts that he puts up shooting with the left that you’d think it was really Tayshaun Prince while “What the Fuck is This?” addresses everybody being haters nowadays. “50 Ball” featuring M.I.N.E. Entertainment signee 3200 Tre finds the pair coming clean regarding how much the ice costed & “Grand Finale” ends the LP on a charismatic note talking about real ones coming last when it’s all said & done.

Merely 4 months since 4ever $hittin’ quickly became the most exciting that Stanwill has sounded all by himself since Van Gundy & approximately 6 weeks out from Babytron making up for Tronicles’ continuous delays, the Evolution of TR Dee isn’t too hard for me or anyone else who’s been following him this long enough to hear. After half a decade, he’s showing off his earned stripes demonstrating his growth both artistically & personally.

Score: 4/5

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Leon Thomas III – “Mutt” review

Leon Thomas III is a 31 year old singer/songwriter, producer & actor from New York City notable for getting his start as the singing voice of Tyrone on The Backyardigans as well as Andre Harris on Victorious for the Paramount Skydance Corporation owned Nickelodeon. He later started making music of his own by releasing 3 mixtapes & an EP until Ty$ signed him to his Motown Records imprint EZMNY Records, dropping his full-length debut album Electric Dusk to critical acclaim. 13 months later, he’s staying busy with a sophomore effort.

“How Fast” grandly starts off by passionately singing that he’s always been a visionary whereas “Safe Place” works in some sampling acknowledging his lover wants to settle in with him for a while even though he gets to the point that it’s not a place of safety whatsoever & that he would let her if it in fact was. “Dancing with Demons” sings about going all night in search of a feeling over this nocturnally dreary instrumental just before “Vibes Don’t Lie” featuring Big Sean on the remix groovily points out the the mouth lies more than the vibes do.

Masego joins Leon for the laidback duet “Lucid Dreams” talking about how they never officially broke up with their exes & that they’re really just taking a break from each other, but then “Feelings on Silent” featuring Wale produced by Conductor Williams is easily my favorite track here from the drumless beat to the lyrics shrugging off anything being said of them negatively. “Answer Your Phone” pushes the 2nd half of Mutt further with this crushing piano ballad pleading for this woman to pick up his calls since he really needs to speak to her while “Yes It Is” featuring Marsha Ambrosius & Muni Long on the remix talks having sensitive ears over a psychedelic soul instrumental from Lil Rod.

“Far Fetched” featuring Ty$ finds the mentor/protégé duo together for a heartbreak jam warning that it’ll be a large check of their relationships are through & after the “Sooner or Later” interlude, the title track featuring both Chris Brown & Freddie Gibbs on the remix is this R&B/boom bap hybrid asking what the rush is. “I Do” dabbles with a gospel sound praising God for taking his time with the woman of his dreams & I Used To” featuring Baby Rose soulfully finishes the LP reflecting when they were in love.

Starting the deluxe run, “Heel” crosses over boom bap & drumless asking what the deal is with his partner wanting him to move on from wounds he hasn’t healed from yet while “Party Favors” featuring Big Sean talks about doing too much for others at parties. “Not Fair” spaciously sings that he’d rather be wrong than wait long these days while “Prize” lusciously tells the woman of his life that she’s the award he wants to win.

“Rather Be Alone” featuring Halle was a fine contemporary R&B, neo-soul, alternative R&B & psychedelic soul single speaking of their preference of being by themselves instead of getting caught in a broken home while “Dirt on My Shoes” featuring Kehlani unites for a back-&-forth duet about them making each other walk around still. The final bonus track “Catch a Stray” wraps it all up singing that the girl he’s with currently is his true addiction.

Thomas showcases his vocal prowess & lyrical talent alike during the course of Mutt’s runtime, telling stories of love lost & betrayal staggering his way through empty relationships as he looks for his soulmate. It really marks the next stage of his career since he truly comes into his own by shooting himself even further into one of the greats of the R&B genre’s modern era & further cementing his status as the best EZMNY signing.

Score: 4/5

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