Maxo Kream – “Personification” review

This is the 4th full-length studio LP from Houston, Texas emcee & songwriter Maxo Kream. Breaking out in the beginning of 2018 off his debut album Punken following his first 4 mixtapes, this resulted in him signing to RCA Records for the sophomore effort Brandon Banks & of course Weight of the World that celebrated it’s 3-year anniversary last month. Some of the singles ahead of Personification however have become the best of his entire discography & I had to give it a shot.

The cloudy trap intro “Mo Murda” acknowledges that people start thinking you’re a part of the illuminati once you start making the amount of money that he does whereas “Fashitso” works in a flute from Cubeatz to talk about coming a long way from kickin’ doors down. “Cracc Era” featuring & produced by Tyler, The Creator turns the bass up telling everyone listening to let go of the drama & people talking shit prior to the sample-driven “Street Fraternity” explaining that you die for eternity once you join.

“Big Hoe Me” kinda has this atmospheric drill vibe instrumentally publicly admitting that he’s almost lost his life twice out in the streets until the fame while “Smokey” featuring BigXthaPlug links up over a Memphis-inspired trap beat from Hit-Boy making it clear they blasting you the next time you owe them. “Higher Than Ever” featuring Rob49 & Skilla Baby dabbles with Detroit trap boasting they real smooth, but then “Drizzy Draco 2” is a sequel to the Brandon Banks highlight.

Josh Kream joins Maxo on the moody trap joint “Walk by Faith” that Beat Butcha laced taking aim at TKO Group Holdings co-founder with individually self-booked runs as WWE Champion & ECW World Heavyweight Champion Vince McMahon while “Drop Top Impala” featuring Z-Ro sees them getting rich off vocals & touring globally. “Bibles & Rifles” is another standout from the Evilgiane instrumental to ask if he’d be forgiven or struck down for wishing death while “Talkin’ in Screw” featuring That Mexican OT remembers the late Screwed Up Click leader and chopped & screwed pioneer DJ Screw.

“Bang the Bus” reunites with Evilgiane again except they experiment with sample drill painting images of the gangsta lifestyle that he’s lived through for nearly 3 minutes & finally, the closing track “Triggaman” featuring Denzel Curry properly rounds out Maxo’s first offering in 3 years & the first in his discography since leaving RCA with both southern MCs over a trap beat ringing off an eerie atmosphere talking about letting the sticks off.

Upping the ante by imbuing it with a heady concept organized around the various ways he has presented himself on wax, Personification is pretty much Maxo diving into all of the themes presented by these different characters. Trigga Maxo, Punken & Emekwanem all get a chance to show what parts of him they represent whether it be the first being hardened by the streets & inspired by the swampy Southern goodness of Houston’s rap tradition, the other becoming more fond of nostalgia & simpler times or the final one discussing his responsibilities as a man & father.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Dave East – “Living Proof” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Harlem emcee Dave East. Breaking out in 2014 off his 8th mixtape Black Rose, this resulted in the man signing a joint deal with Def Jam Recordings & even Nas’ independently owned Mass Appeal Records as well as a spot in the iconic 2016 XXL Freshman Class. However, his full-length debut Survival wouldn’t come out until 3 years later & was very disappointing in the sense that he tried appealing to a more mainstream audience that just didn’t exist. The Harry Fraud produced sophomore effort Hoffa proved to be better as did his final Def Jam offering Fortune Favors the Bold & APT 6E produced by Mike & Keys marked a return to his independent roots, so hearing would be Living Proof fully laced by araabMUZIK gave me a feeling it would be one of the most essential listening experiences of Dave’s career.

“Percocet” is the synthesizer driven boom bap intro talking about there not being any better feeling re-uppin’ whereas “Bet My Life” shifts towards a cloudy trap direction instrumentally flexing that he’s on his 2nd-wind. “Solid N****z” featuring Cruch Calhoun gives off a bit of a victorious flare to the beat as they tell the difference between the real & the cowards. I also owe Cruch an apology for what I said in regards to his verse on “The Win” when Hoffa dropped, I was wrong & I own up to that.

Fabolous joins Dave for the orchestrally hardcore “Buss Down” to discuss all that they ever wanted was a Rollie so they got some prior to “Walk wit Me” working in a bit of a jazz rap vibe for the instrumental advising y’all to take a walk with him real quick. “Lift ‘Em Up” featuring Benny the Butcher returns to a symphonic edge talking about having better patience & only broke people think money can solve problems, but then “Roll Up” pulls influence from jazz music once again not knowing too many living the life he does.

“Joe Jackson” featuring O.T. the Real starts the other half of Living Proof with both of them cautioning that rappers acting like something they’re not is what leads to them getting shot while “All I Know” heads back for a trap direction putting on for shit that he could die for. “Same Shit” featuring Giggs finds the 2 boasting they’re still with exact same group of homies they came up with while “Everything for Sale” featuring Ransom samples “To the Other Man” by Luther Ingram admitting they’ve done bad & grew better.

Starting the final leg of the LP on a psychedelic note, “The Love Fake” tackles themes of envy and no smut being put on his legacy once he’s gone while the luxurious trap flavored “Run Down” featuring Millyz talks going through it in the midst of everyone else not understanding it whatsoever. “The Other Side” pushes towards the final moments exuberantly warning that money ain’t a thing since you can’t take it with ya & “Barbara” ends by telling the titular person that he misses her.

Highlighting the shared vision & chemistry of both collaborators, Living Proof delivers one of the year’s standout releases & of course amongst the most important high points in the 2016 XXL Freshman’s career. araabMUZIK’s signature production throughout is a lot more consistent that it was on APT 6E pulling from boom bap to trap, chipmunk soul & jazz rap making more than enough room for Dave East to go harder lyrically than he did during the summer.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Lyte – “Full Force” review

This is the sophomore effort from Flint, Michigan emcee Lyte. Emerging a decade ago off his debut mixtape Follow the Lyte, he later signed to the Insane Clown Posse’s very own Psychopathic Records on New Year’s Day 2017 & put out his debut EP Psychopathic MonStar that summer following the 18th annual Gathering of the Juggalos in Oklahoma. He amicably departed couple years later in order to focus on building his own label MonStar Entertainment & becoming a father, returning over 2 & a half years ago for the debut album Metamorphosis demonstrating his personal & artistic growth. MonStar has since evolved into a roster of its own, coming off a showcase EP to return Full Force.

“Dying Breed” starts with this wavy trap instrumental from Str8jaket talking about his kind shrinking near to the point of extinction whereas “Feel the Way I Do” works in some pianos & strings asking if there’s anyone who feels the exact same way as he does. “Time Will Tell” featuring Ant G finds the 2 over a trap instrumental reassuring everyone that they’re nowhere near close to being done leading into “Made a Lot” talking about the money, sacrifices & mistakes he’s made.

Meanwhile on “Back in My Head”, we have Lyte showing off a speedier flow over another trap beat fighting back until they bury him just before “Full Deck” featuring Skitzo brings the pair together so they can talk about everyone fuckin’ with the wrong ones. “This Us” fuses electronic dance music & trap giving 0 fucks whatsoever, but then “Brand New” featuring Project Born aggressively talking about people acting that exact way.

“It’s Our Time” hooks up some pianos & hi-harts discussing that it’s MonStar Entertainment’s time to shine now while “OMG” featuring Str8jaket talks about needing God in their lives at the moment even if they’re not the praying type. The song “Disarray” featuring Stray grimly promises God certain things won’t happen again if He helps them & “Memories” featuring Str8jaket is a 6-minute closer breaking down the way he wants to be remembered.

Metamorphosis was a solid debut giving the underground a look at how much Lyte has changed on all fronts ever since signing to Psychopathic for a year & a half, which Full Force surpasses in terms of quality. The production almost entirely handled by Str8jaket elevates the trap sounds from 2 & a half years ago, the guests are reduced to MonStar’s current roster other than a couple outside collaborators & Lyte himself sounds hungrier.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Cordae – “The Crossroads” review

This is the 3rd full-length studio LP from Suitland, Maryland emcee Cordae formerly of the YBN collective. The first time I heard him was “Old N****s”, an immensely well written response to “1985” off of J. Cole’s 5th album KOD. That single alone earned Cordae a HUGE co-sign from none other than Dr. Dre as well as a deal with Atlantic Records, where he put out a potential showing debut The Lost Boy the following summer right after his 2019 XXL Freshman Class placement. Just Until….. became a solid prelude to From a Bird’s Eye View, which received mixed feedback & Cordae himself even acknowledged it as the weakest entry of his discography. Nearly 3 years later, he’s at The Crossroads.

After the intro, the first song “‘06 Dreamin’” produced by FNZ is a soulful boom bap opener reflecting on a true story that happened when he was only 8 whereas “Back on the Road” featuring Lil Wayne takes the trap route instrumentally to talk about how we simply have to open our eyes. “Summer Drop” featuring Anderson .Paak gets back on a rawer edge courtesy of J. Cole pointing out that they don’t have any other options just before the rich “Nothing’s Promised” reminds that there isn’t anything guaranteed to us.

“Mad as Fuck” brings back the trap vibes expressing his frustration with everyone who isn’t paid enough to beef with him prior to “All Alone” sampling “A House Isn’t a Home” by Luther Vandross talking about feeling lonely even with all the success. “Never See It” fuses soul & trap getting on his pimp shit leading into “Pray” featuring Ty$ on the hook returning to the boom bap thanks to DJ Camper & Hitmaka asking if you’ll stick around once the money goes.

As for “Don’t Walk Away”, we have Cordae on a groovier beat pleading for his girlfriend of 5-years 大坂なおみ not to walk away from him while “Saturday Mornings” featuring Lil Wayne finds BoogzDaBeast flippin’ “I Really Really Love You” by Father’s Children venting over all the problems they’ve been dealing with. “No Bad News” samples “Bad News” by Kanye West thinking about this life of his, but then “Shai Afeni” serves as this open letter to his daughter drawing inspiration from chipmunk soul.

“What Really Matters” mixes trap with chipmunk soul telling listeners to put nothing over family including materialism while “Syrup Sandwiches” featuring Joey Bada$$ goes for an intoxicating atmosphere with the help of Thelonius Martin reflecting on their growth individually. “Now You Know” goes drumless for a tribute to his late grandmother & the bonus track “2 10s” featuring Anderson .Paak ends by showing off both artists’ completely different perspectives that they have when it comes to women making way for J. Cole & Dem Jointz to mix pop rap & jazz rap.

Reaching a turning point in his life, The Crossroads embodies Cordae at being the most refined version of himself as an artist by focusing on his craft & drawing inspiration from life to make sure he was putting his best foot forward. A culmination of decisions, the production’s more consistent than it was nearly 3 years ago & redeems himself from the mixed reception of From a Bird’s Eye View describing a period when every decision felt like the stakes were high for him.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Berner – “Hoffa” review

Berner is a 41 year old rapper, songwriter & entrepreneur from San Francisco, California who began battle rapping in high school. Following his 2007 debut mixtape Dirty Sneakers…Plenty Ways to Get It, he would go on to drop 15 LPs along with a couple more mixtapes & a couple EPs in addition to the plethora of collaborative projects he has with numerous artists. Ahead of the Cookies cannabis brand’s 10-year anniversary however, Berner’s coming off The Farmer’s Market for his 16th album.

“Sweat” is this slick west coast trap opener flexing that he got big money whereas “Remember” moves on from there working in some sampling to talk about the memory he has remembering way things were before the cash flow. “Hard to Spend” gets on the psychedelic trap tip admitting that the dirty money getting more difficult to blow as time goes on just before “Heavy” featuring Mozzy & Peysoh gives off a Detroit trap vibe describing shit as sketchy

As for “Power”, we have Berner calmingly talking about being attracted to the titular feeling into “Callin’” featuring Moneybagg Yo & Ty$ brings the trio together so all 3 of them can ball with money on the mind. “Who Gon’ Love You?” featuring Larry June offers a cloudier flare to the table asking that exact question when it goes dry while “Lots of Green” featuring B-Real, Devin the Dude & Wiz Khalifa finds the quartet expressing their love for weed.

“Fried” featuring De’Migo has cool sampling techniques throughout pulling from soul & jazz music knowing that both of them will be fine as long as they wake up in the morning, but then “Easy” turns the jazz rap influences way higher talking about breaking the bank. “The Source” featuring Ghostface Killah, Killer Mike & Raekwon is a standout for me since every single one of them floated over a chipmunk soul beat while “The Smoke” featuring Too $hort produced by Ant Banks finds both of them assuring not to worry over where they going.

Galaxy! & Zakee both join Berner for “Ruthless” reminding that they’ve been shining while “Possible” talks jumping obstacles in 2024 doing the impossible. “Litigation” featuring Cozmo gets stuck between fake smiles & legal proceedings while the title track featuring Chevy Woods & Cozmo homages labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa who disappeared almost 50 years ago. “Keep Pushin’” passionately gets his message across & the closer “Amazing” sends it all off smoking the pain away.

Hoffa as a sequel to Gotti recaptures everything that made its predecessor stand out in his discography & makes it a completely different listening experience altogether. The production offers a wide range of palates from trap to cloud rap, Detroit trap, psychedelia, chipmunk soul & jazz rap for the Cookies founder to tackle themes of organized crime joined by guest performances that’re either outstanding or tiresome.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

BigBabyGucci – “ANTI” review

This is the 5th full-length studio LP from Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci. Start in the summer of 2016 off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 19 more EPs as well as his last 3 full-lengths & a mixtape along the way. Baby 5 came off some of his best LPs & EPs to date When U Wake Up & When You Go to Sleep respectively continued the acclaim, which the alternative-heavy ANTI nearly a month after Jake Doyle became the oldest DPW Worlds Champion will surely elevate.

“Senzu” starts by singing over a rage beat from thr6x that he would never make someone do anything they won’t ever want to do poppin’ a band whereas “Lost Control” featuring Aloïs brings the 2 together for a smooth duet revolving around themes of love. “How U Feel” psychedelically sings about people keeping it trill & others switching up ratting on him leading into the pop rap/trap crossover “Givenchy Paintings” featuring MDMA co-produced by Rafmade assuring his lover they know he’ll be there soon.

Meanwhile on “Xo”, we have BBG singing over synthesizers about an ex of his having a new man on top of a new bag & new problems just before “Cheap Thrills” goes full-blown cloud rap asking those using a short-lived moment of excitement or pleasure that is ultimately unsatisfying when they’re gonna pay. “Badina” has a bit of a Ye formerly known as Kanye West influence promising he’ll never keep her waiting while “The Fall Thru” is a 2-parter going through the motions.

“Sandbox Raps” starts the 2nd half of ANTI flexing that he got bigger toys in his sandbox while “Cape Town” instrumentally pays homage to The Neptunes down the 4-start count at the very beginning rapping about not knowing any mercy. “Under the Influence” hazily wants everyone that tells him they have his back to actually prove it, but then “Fancy & Focused” luxuriously suggests he might buy the bank since he’s so money hungry.

Nearing the final leg, “Hype” gives off a stripped-back trap vibe hearing the pussy fire only for him to leave after hitting it since people were gassing it up to him while the cloudy “Linkup USA” sings that he hope his lover follows him whenever he dips out. Bad Kids” featuring Thouxanbanfauni pushes further towards the conclusion boasting that both of them are 1 of a kind & “Air” finishes with a catchy heater needing his romantic interest to come on by.

Originally intended to be an EP, ANTI surpasses both When U Wake Up & When You Go to Sleep as the most essential entry in BigBabyGucci’s discography elevating his artistry to newer levels. The alternative production is a refreshing change of pace for him compared to his earlier material, demonstrating his range both as a rapper & most importantly as a singer.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Babytron – “Tronicles” review

Detroit emcee Babytron delivering his highly anticipated sophomore effort. Coming up as a member of the trio ShittyBoyz along with his childhood friends Stanwill & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he also branched out on impressive solo career for himself as well as the side groups Lewis & Clark and the Dookie Brothers. But the last couple years was probably his biggest yet landing interviews ranging from No Jumper to even Rolling Stone following the release of Luka Trončić a couple summers prior to signing with EMPIRE Distribution later that same month & then Bin Reaper 2: The 2nd Coming that same fall. Bin Reaper 3 ended the trilogy with a 2-disc effort, the bootleg Style EP wound up being disappointing, the full-length LP 6 made up for it as did his previous tape Megatron 2. His collaborative mixtape Mario & Luigi with Certified Trapper wasn’t all that great either, so I was hoping Tronicles would bounce back again.

“1 of Them Ones” is this robbery Detroit trap opener talking about being in the kitchen suggesting you go get some pans since it’s too much work in here whereas “Yew!” has a bit of a dancy trap vibe instrumentally wanting to get tapped in with Warner Bros. alongside referencing both SMW Tag Team Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion & 6-time WWE Hardcore Champion Al Snow AND 10-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, United Football League (UFL) co-owner, TKO Group Holdings board of directors member, $7 Productions co-founder & the final boss of professional wrestling The Rock whose 2nd cousin once removed Nia Jax is the current 2-time WWE Women’s Champion.

The grim atmosphere of “Nightmare on Yo Street” was perfect, considering the fact that it was released as a single this Halloween shrugging off his ex moving on to finer things in life while “Hawk Tuah” references Hailey Welch becoming a meme earlier this summer. “Hellraiser” likening the Dog $hit Militia to terrorists suggesting he should rock shorts the way he balls just before “Neymar” offers a delicate trap flare homaging the Brazilian soccer player of the same name including a reference to former 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, FTW Champion, ECW World Television Champion, 3 time ECW World Tag Team Champion, JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン & the longest reigning XPW World Heavyweight Champion Sabu.

“TRX” maintains a Detroit trap edge asking how you fly when he ain’t even past TSA leading into “Tronald Trump” talks running for president since the bigoted, misogynistic 45th president of the United States Donald Trump is now unfortunately the president-elect & will be inaugurated as the 47th president in January although I’m not saying I support the current Vice President Kamala Harris & “Is You Serious?” featuring Project Money flexes they’re more macho than WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time world champion & Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage.

Meanwhile on “Haunted House”, we have Babytron cautioning that you won’t ever step out of the D$M haunted house once you set foot in that bitch prior to “3 OT” talking about putting a triple overtime, assuring that it wasn’t luck at all for him. “Lost in the Sauce” produced by Certified Trapper stands out as a lowend hit throwing in a bar referring to former WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & 2-time WWE tag team champion Carlito ahead of “Headbop” cleverly referencing Eminem over a Danny G & Jakesand instrumental since he was featured on THE DƎATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) this summer.

“DPOY” finishes the first half of the Tronicles boasting that he feels like San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy the way he touches down in the Bay Area of California while “Me & My Bitch” fuses Detroit trap with chipmunk soul flexing that he & his new girl are chillin’ in a 2-seater. “Funnybutt” makes something outta nothing as if the D$M crew are really a bunch of magicians while “Clark Fent” pokes fun at a fiend who thinks he’s Superman.

Lazer Dim 700’s feature on “Lion’s Den” doesn’t do much for me although I love Tron referencing 2-time WWE Champion, 8-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion & 9-time WWE tag team champion The Miz a.k.a. The Mid that is until “AMP” makes a dope reference to former No Limit Records founder Master P. “What Type?” wants to know the bullshit people on pointing out the fact WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson will literally beat the living shit outta Jake Paul a week from today on Netflix while the piano-driven “Poison Oak” admits being stingy with the Quagen.

“Lame Asl” contains one of my favorite beats on the entire album courtesy of Helluva dissin’ everyone out here for being as corny as they are while “Home Run” featuring Dave Blunts dismissing those who bullshit with the bags they make in contrast to them legitimately making theirs. “Silly Goose” flexes everyone better get a raffle ticket if they really want a chance to win including a bar referring to the current UFC Heavyweight Champion & former 2-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones while “Really Jimmy? blows through 50 states poppin’ out with $3M.

The song “Summer ‘24” pushes towards the final moments of the Tronicles talking about the block scorching as much as it was earlier this past summer while the penultimate track “Heavy Mental” fuses Detroit trap & orchestral talking about how nobody asked for any favors in regards to what he did out here in the streets. “Legend of Tron” ends the Tronicles brushes off not getting enough respect since the ain’t done yet.

Clocking in at almost an hour & 15 minutes, Babytron reaffirms exactly why he’s the biggest member of the ShittyBoyz & one of Detroit’s finest in general. His production stands out amongst his local contemporaries sounding similarly to one another making further room for his unique punchlines to reveal himself as one of the Motor City’s best in recent memory.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

A$AP Ferg – “Darold” review

Manhattan, New York emcee & songwriter A$AP Ferg finally releasing his 3rd studio LP. One of the most prominent members of the A$AP Mob, his 2013 solo debut Trap Lord & the debut mixtape Ferg Forever both cemented that further although the sophomore effort A.$.A.P. (Always $trive And Prosper) received mixed responses for its more commercial heavy-sound. Still Striving & Floor Seats both marked a return to form for Ferg although Floor Seats II got divided feedback during the 2020 COVID lockdowns, Darold based on the singles had me hoping it would be another step in the right direction artistically.

“Light Work” featuring Bloody Osiris & DD Osama starts off by dabbling with the New York drill sound telling everyone to go get their lights whereas “Thought I Was Dead” produced by Lex Luger & Mike WiLL-Made It works in some horns & hi-hats to talk about his return to music after so long. “Alive :(“ has a passionate tone altogether admitting he’s been trying to his find his passion for this rap shit lately prior to the lead single “Allure” featuring Future taking it live from Atlanta.

Denzel Curry joins Ferg on the energetic “Demons” to talk about being on the corner, making the hood go brazy just before “Messy” take the trap out talking about everything being disorderly & keeping it that way. “French Tips” has a bit of a boom bap vibe instrumentally keeping it hot, but then “Dead Homies” brings a soulful flare to the table remembering all of his friends who unfortunately can’t be here with us today.

“Casting Spells” hooks up a classy beat from Mario Winans, Lil Rod & disgraced Bad Boy Entertainment founder awaiting trial next spring Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy keeping the hate away from him wanting to live & take care of his family while “Pool” strips the drums completely hoping that one never changes on him. “Chosen” maintains a drumless edge pushing towards the final moments of Darold showing a bit of introspection, which the bombastic title track expands on boasting that he’s been outside.

A rich auditory experience, Ferg’s first full-length in nearly a decade echoes his enduring impact on hip hop combining seasoned artists & rising stars offering something for everybody. This goal is achieved by the production drawing inspiration from boom bap, trap, neo-soul, contemporary R&B, pop rap, hardcore hip hop & the New York Drill scene refining the personal themes of A.$.A.P. (Always $trive And Prosper).

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Chino XL – “Darkness & Other Colors” review

This is the 6th full-length studio LP albeit posthumous debut from East Orange, New Jersey emcee Chino XL. Breaking out in the mid-90s after signing to American Recordings & releasing the classic full-length debut Here to Save You All, he eventually went on to beef with 2Pac & I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who writes him off to this day because of that. Especially since that I Told You So, Poison Pen & the Viper Records-backed RICANstruction: The Black Rosary all contain some of the best songs in his whole discography. Stu Bangas was brought in to produce God’s Carpenter last summer & that became a near-flawless comeback, so I was interested in hearing Darkness & Other Colors recorded back in 2020 ahead of God’s Carpenter 2 following Chino’s passing this summer.

The self-produced “Words in the Color of Death” sets the tone of the album perfectly morbidly acknowledging his departure from beyond the grave whereas “Sermon in Crimson” works in a drumlessly symphonic loop talking about putting bars over bullshit. “Sepia Files from the Last Supper” hooks up a boom bap instrumental so he can take selfies at the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles in Jerusalem prior to “The Red You Deserve” finding Body Bag Ben keeping things in the basement flexing he’s iller than anyone who’s still alive.

After the organ heavy “Saged Sleep” interlude, “Byzantium Darkness” mixes this eerie backdrop with kicks & snares addressing the darkness that was following him at that point in time leading into “Blue Obsidian (Been Telling You)” strips the drums once again telling anyone who’s listening to this that he’s in the darkness with all of them. “Burn in Ivory” returns to the boom bap airing out those who ain’t ever stand beside him just before the somber, guitar-driven “Black Room” talks about getting back to people from the titular room.

“Lumps of Silver” samples soul & rock declaring that absolutely nothing can break him regardless of him suffering greatly while “Grey Discipline” featuring Eto after the “Chardikala (Chardi Color)” interlude DJ Sam Seed helped put together grittily talks about others only respecting the bickering instead of the discipline. The spine-tingling “Lifted Gods Auburn” featuring Sauce Money shows off the wild style both MCs are known for & “Vanilla Sky” ends the LP soulfully reassures listeners he’s still alive within lucid dreams.

I’m well aware of the drama between Chino’s estate & Holy Toledo Productions founder/A&R extraordinaire M80 surrounding the release of this album but I gotta admit as someone who admires Chino’s art, I can see why M80 wanted to drop Darkness & Other Colors since it very much offers explanation that he was clearly adamant of perfecting it back in 2020 when he was still here with us during the COVID lockdowns.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Freddie Gibbs – “You Only Die 1nce” review

Indiana emcee Freddie Gibbs returning after Halloween for his 5th LP. Coming up in 2004 with his debut mixtape Full Metal Jackit. he would then sign to Interscope Records for a brief period of time until he left without dropping an album with them. This was made up for with the mixtapes The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs & Str8 Killa No Filla, which would catch the attention of Jeezy & land Freddie a contract with CTE World in 2011. However, Gibbs eventually left CTE the following year after releasing the tapes Cold Day in Hell & B.F.K. (BabyFace Killa). In 2013, he decided to form his own label E$GN Records & finally dropped the full-length album E.$.G.N. (Evil $eeds Grow Naturally). He & iconic Oxnard producer Madlib would drop their MadGibbs debut Piñata the year after that, which is EASILY one of the greatest hip hop albums of the previous decade. Gibbs continued to grow his profile after that with Shadow of a Doubt, You Only Live 2wice, Freddie, the Curren$y collab EP Fetti & who can forget MadGibbs’ sophomore effort Bandana or Alfredo produced by The Alchemist? E$GN signed a new distribution deal with Warner Records in tandem with $oul $old $eparately to positive reception & returning to that You Only Live 2wice essence on You Only Die 1nce.

“Status” is this drumless intro talking about currently being at the throne of the rap game whereas “Cosmo” works in these exuberant ass piano chords continuing to win as long as everyone else keeps singin’. “Wolverine” produced by 454 stays in the castle since the streets ain’t worth the hassle hookin’ up some layering & background vocals, but then the soulful trap crossover “Brick Fees” gets in his hustler bag.

Moving on from there, “Rabbit Island” discusses life being exactly what you make of it over this calming & crisp instrumental while “It’s Your Anniversary” offers a west coast flare likening his MCing abilities to that of a crack attack. After the “Nobody Like You” interlude, “30 Girlfriends (Yeah Yeah)” shifts into a lush trap direction refusing to let anyone make a move on him just before the highlight “Steel Doors” that BNYX of Working on Dying laced with iloveit! seals his legacy.

“Walk It Off” starts the final leg of You Only Die 1nce on the symphonic trap tip courtesy of 454 pointing out how everyone wants to see us against each other while the chilled out “Ruthless” featuring Leon Thomas III on the remix thanks to Freddie’s manager Lambo interestingly talks about maintaining the titular mentality. “Origami” finds BNYX excellently dabbling with boom bap so Gibbs can try to get paid & “On the Set” gives his flowers to the late Rich Homie Quan.

Coming off one of the best verses of his entire career on “Back to Me” off ¥$’ debut album Vultures at the beginning of the year, You Only Die 1nce proves quite the treat for devotees for his razor-sharp raps. The production ranges from boom bap to drumless, jazz rap & trap holding off on having any guests join him, giving himself further room for the Freddie Kane persona’s return now that he’s off Warner.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!