Tag: album review

Dom Kennedy – “Class of ‘95” review

Dom Kennedy is a 40 year old MC from Los Angeles, California who I became a fan of during my adolescence through his 4th & 6th mixtapes From the Westside with Love & Yellow Album respectively. He later made a sequel to his breakout tape as his official full-length debut studio album, going on to release 6 more & of course forming the MC/producer duo Half-A-Mil with Hit-Boy since then. From the Westside with Love III in the fall of 2021 was met with mixed reception & with it’s anniversary coming up early next week, he’s returning for the 8th studio LP in his discography.

“Rich Kids” is this sample-driven trap opener feeling closer to God than ever chasing the money whereas “Leanin’” works in a psychedelic backdrop & some hi-hats boasting he ain’t gotta floss since people tryna stealin’ the sauce anyway. “Legendary” takes the Mobb route instrumentally reaffirming his status in the streets, but then “Casablanca” featuring Polyester the Saint & TROY NoKA talking about everyone knowing he been on.

As for “Slauson Phil”, we have Dom over more atmospheric trap production reflecting on going from selling cans to buying whips leading into “Nowornever” observing that dudes be fuckin’ with the same girl & that being wild to him since it’s a small world we’re in. “Attention” had a syrupy trap flare to the beat tackling the theme of romance just before “Baby James” talks about planting a tree when he was broke & having money now.

“Miracle on 43rd” spaciously finds him mobbin’ on the plane with a Louis Vuttion tote bag while “Rollin’” brings a charming trap flare to the table talking about being as seasoned of an MC he is. “Celine” atmospherically gets boastful giving thanks to God for all the paper he’s made while “Indepedent” shows off his indie status since he’s never signed to a major label & all of his music coming out through The Other People’s Money Company.

Meanwhile on “Loved”, pushes forward the 2nd half of Class of ‘95 with a drumless loop matched with the lyrics about being influential although not as much as J. Cole & that they still love him the same while “Promise” featuring Niko G4 gets on the pop rap tip promising their lovers to stay solid like when they met. “Emergency” smoothly asking if it’s real love if it’s never been tested while “Gallery” talks never dreaming of going mainstream since he’s famous on the block.

“Lonely Hearts” gets the encore of the LP going by hopping over this soulful trap beat dedicating this joint to all the lonely hearts listening while the title track moodily talks about finding a woman that he’s been looking for throughout his whole entire life. The closer “Sketches from Westlake” ties things up keeping money on his mind considering every day to be the 1st of tha Month making it work by stackin’ now & ballin’ later.

Truthfully, it’s been quite a while since I found myself enjoying a Dom Kennedy project & Class of ‘95 surpassed my expectations ahead of it since it could probably be his best solo offering since Los Angeles Isn’t for Sale 2. The production eclectically pulls from trap to soul, Mobb music, pop rap & drumless as Dom pretty much recaps how life’s been treating him in the last 3 years since he last dropped.

Score: 3.5/5

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

Jelly Roll – “Beautifully Broken” review

Jelly Roll is a 39 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Antioch, Tennesse who’s been hustling within the underground for over 2 decades already building up a discography of 21 mixtapes as well as 8 full-lengths & 3 EPs. His rise to international stardom began in 2020 when he signed a 2-album deal with the Strange Music subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment, releasing A Beautiful Disaster & Self Medicated to critical acclaim. Whitsitt Chapel marked his country debut & “Need a Favor” proved to be his biggest hit, eventually signing with Republic Records for his 9th LP after making appearances for both WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings divisions UFC & WWE.

“Winning Streak” begins his Republic debut in the form of this powerful piano ballad singing about standin’ in the rain just trying to stay dry whereas “Burning” gives off more of a traditional country sound instrumentally asking God to show him another way. “Heart of Stone” in need of a different kind of drug carrying over the sounds of the previous cut onto here, but then the lead single “I’m Not Ok” fuses pop rock & country pop tackling the theme of mental health.

Meanwhile on “When the Drugs Don’t Work”, we have Jelly Roll asking who’s gonna drive you home once the drugs start to wear off putting a bigger emphasis on country pop just before “Higher Than Heaven” featuring Wiz Khalifa finds the 2 talking about smoking weed being their way out of the darkness. The official WWE SummerSlam XXXVII theme song “Liar” heads towards a pop rock direction calling out someone tryna be his friend for cappin’ leading into “Everyone Bleeds” explains that you can only fly so close to Heaven.

“Get By” pulls inspiration from the stomp & holler scene showin’ up Sunday morning lookin’ the same way he did the previous evening while “Unpretty” sings about resenting the man that he used to be radiating a calmer vibe to the beat. “Grace” brings back the country pop influences finding love in the heart of the darkness & hope when the times are the hardest while “What It Takes” sings about a 40 Oz. only numbing the pain.

To get Beautifully Broken’s other half going, “Hey Mama” serve as his passionate country tribute to Jelly Roll’s mother Donna DeFord & the guitar-driven “Time of Day” feels more like an MGK song since he handles pretty much all the verses & not as well as the primary artist himself. “Born Again” clarifies that you can’t kill a man that was born to be born again while “Guilty” maintains the country feeling expressing the love he has for his wife Alyssa.

“Little Light” is this country rock/country pop hybrid encouraging to leave some light since this person is on the close to the edge of letting go while “Hear Me Out” wanting y’all to tell him how he’s always feeling like something’s missin’ & we don’t know all the pain he’s felt. “Woman” gives his flowers to Alyssa once again detailing he won’t understand why she still calls him her’s while “Smile So Much” singing about one understanding why he’s been smiling a lot if you’ve seen him cry.

The penultimate track “My Cross” pushes towards the conclusion of the LP referring to hurt & trauma as a sickness, explaining that he’d rather die than to pass it to either of his 2 children since it’s his pain to bear rather than theirs hoping the apple falls far from the tree & the sins of the father stop with him while “What’s Wrong with Me” ends by singing about being fine with all his flaws. “Take a Bow” featuring Halsey starts the deluxe run promising one another the highest of highs over pianos while “Don’t Want To” featuring Keith Urban is a country duet clarifying just because they aren’t tempting that temptation or lighting up that fuse doesn’t mean they don’t want to.

“Devil Down” featuring Ernest finds the 2 sticking with a traditional country flare asking for God to help them overcome their addictions since it isn’t a strongpoint for them while the acoustic “Really Gone” featuring Russ talks about hearing the special people in their lives who’ve passed through the night sky. The stripped-back “Past Yesterday” with Skylar Grey on the hook asks not to judge him if he gets too high & the final bonus track “Lonely Road” featuring MGK fresh off being in Logan Paul’s corner when L.A. Knight finally dethroned him as WWE United States Champion at SummerSlam XXXVII couple months ago has to be one of the worst singles of the year mutating country pop & emo pop whining about feeling alone.

I’ve always found it ignorant when people say that Jelly Roll is a sellout or a culture vulture or inauthentic because the dude was grinding nonstop for the longest time working with those from Tech N9ne to more recently the closing track of Eminem’s highly conceptual THE DƎATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) & his Republic debut here stands as the best offering of his ever since he forayed deeper towards country. He’s grappling with his newfound fame during the 83 minute runtime bouncing between country, pop rock & country pop.

Score: 3.5/5

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

Joell Ortiz – “W.A.R. (With All Respect)” review

Brooklyn, New York veteran Joell Ortiz is back for his 9th studio LP. Emerging after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine, he went on to sign to Aftermath Entertainment for a brief period of time before leaving to drop his official debut The Brick: Bodega Chronicles under MNRK Music Group. I also can’t forget to mention when Slaughterhouse rose to prominence off their self-titled debut, which led Eminem signing the supergroup to Shady Records a decade ago already. But sadly, their major label debut welcome to: OUR HOUSE that came out the next summer would unfortunately end up being their last & everyone has been doing their own thing since. 3 years since Autograph however, The Heatmakerz are jumping behind the boards throughout the duration of W.A.R. (With All Respect).

“W.A.R. Welcome” featuring I Born starts with a bluesy boom bap instrumental allowing them to open up our minds taking us to war with all respect whereas “Mamma Loves Me” moves forward with a passionate tribute to his mother, who helped pushed him further in his music career. “Fortune 500” keeps it 100 by talking about having 100 less friends since more problems emerge the more money you make, but then “Reaper Man” strips the drums completely telling the grim reaper he’s taken enough.

The atmospherically spacious “So Lost” works in more kicks & snares talking about feeling lost sometimes as of late just before “W.A.R. (Worry, Anger, Resentment)” featuring Styles P peacefully gives thanks to God since every single one of us are in debt to Him. “Imagine That” featueing Ransom soulfully flashes back & fast-forwards into the present doing all they dreamed while “WAR” featuring M.O.P. returns to the boom bap warning that y’all don’t want beef with them.

“Please” brings the soul vibes back for a ballad dedicated to his best friend/1 true love & after the “My Childhood” skit, “All the Years” officially wraps up Yaowa’s first solo effort since H.A.R.D. or the Housing Authority Rap District no longer putting out anymore duo projects with 1 more drumless banger reminiscing over the loved ones who can’t be with him today.

I personally prefer the Signature remixes that L’Orange did for Autograph even though I appreciate the highlights off the original version. Nevertheless, W.A.R. (With All Respect) is easily my favorite of Joell’s since Monday & will arguably go down as one of the best albums that he’s ever made period. The Heatmakerz’ production sticks to their signature, soulful boom bap & drumless sound & Yaowa’s performances are better than the last couple H.A.R.D. efforts.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Bizarre – “He Got a Gun 4” review

Detroit emcee Bizarre returning for his 8th solo LP & the 4th installment of the He Got a Gun series in time for the Halloween season. Emerging as an original member of the now defunct D12 led by the late Proof, he was also among the first in the crew to put out solo efforts with his 1998 debut EP Attack of the Weirdosbeing a hometown classic in my eyes. Fast forward 7 years later, Biz followed it up with a worthy full-length debut Hannicap Circus & has continued to put out music on his own since, with the last time we heard him being his 11th mixtape 18159 Stout during the first quarter or the year. The Foul Mouth-produced He Got a Gun as well as it’s it’s sequel & the predecessor Art Peace revitalized himself for all the doubters, so them coming off “Antichrist” on Eminem’s latest album THE DƎATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) with He Got a Gun 4 was definitely the best move.

“Jump Out There” starts by aggressively boasting the fact he’s more hood than everyone else going on a Rampage similarly to Busta Rhymes’ cousin whereas “Grew Up a Savage” works in some kicks, snares & a spacious backdrop talking about growing up in the wilder side of the city. “Rufus” gives off a morbid atmosphere instrumentally detailing his lifestyle while “B.M.T.” hooks up a drumless soul sample to smoke weed & chill out after a stressful day.

Moving on with “1 Way”, we have Foul taking it back towards a boom bap direction advising to watch how you speak to him since he’s a boss leading into “Dear Diary” heads for a personal approach lyrically getting all the shit that he’s been going through since we last heard from him earlier this summer off his chest. “Mother’s House” featuring Lokye has this delicately raw vibe to the beat allowing both of them to daydream, but then “King of Detroit” featuring J-Nutty finds the pair reppin’ their city.

“Rat Bitch” featuring Big Jiggs gets the other half of the LP rollin’ breaking down Bizarre’s preference in women & Jiggs solidly portraying the titular role for her verse while “Let’s Go” marks a return of the Peter S. Bizarre alter ego over these infernal piano chords. “Jeeter” is a whole stoner’s anthem with some playful sampling throughout 130 seconds while “Grim Reaper” featuring Speak of the Devil dustily tells us who the drug dealer & crypt-keeper are in debt to.

Bub Rock & Kain Cole both join Bizarre on “God Speed” luxuriously giving y’all what you need instead of what y’all want reassuring slow motion better than no motion while “Flexin’ on Your Hoes” featuring Bruiser Wolf nears the end of the LP slickly getting in their pimp bags. The outro featuring Marv Won & Max Hilli concludes the latest entry of the He Got a Gun saga in the form of this lethal rap rock song looking to body those who wanna battle them.

This & all 3 of it’s predecessors stylistically are very much reminiscent to the final minute of “Antichrist” so if you loved it when shit got scary during Bizarre’s verse on that track, you’re probably gonna enjoy the entire tetralogy that revitalized the Idiotic Kidd’s passion for the game since all 4 installments maintain the classic level Attack of the Weirdos & Hannicap Circus already achieved. 2 & a half years later, Foul Mouth’s boom bap production & Bizzy’s hardcore lyricism excellently compliment each other as they continue to elevate their chemistry.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Pro Dillinger – “Dirtwave” review

Haverstraw, New York emcee Pro Dillinger surprise-releasing his 7th studio LP. A member of the Umbrella collective as well as 1/2 of The Steiner Brothers, he has released a total of 5 mixtapes along with his last 5 albums & even 7 EPs. Favorites include the Finn-produced debut Pray for My Prey, the Machacha-produced Dirt Don’t Hurt, his 3rd EP MOSFoul, the Sting vs. Flair collab EP with Mickey Diamond & the Steiner Brothers’ eponymous debut. Dirty Work celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary earlier this summer & the dirtiest of the Umbrella brought Sean Kelly back to handle production for Reasonable Dirt much like Forever Foul, but is coming off the Don’t Feed the Animal EP by enlisting Futurewave for the highly anticipated Dirtwave.

“Still Here” is this soulful opener with Pro talking about everyone tryna rap out here actin’ weird in addition to there being a difference between men & mice whereas “Summer Smoke” takes the boom bap route instrumentally wantin’ it all & mobbin’ out. “Gun Play” maintains a dusty vibe altogether to talk about being strapped prior to “Magic” hopping over more perfectly crafted boom bap production flexing that he had to throw away his old bitch & not to fuck with him.

Daniel Son appears on “No Loyalty” to angrily call out everyone in the streets who’re disloyal just before “Target Him” featuring Blakkito spaciously makes it clear you ain’t dirt if you ain’t down with the gang. “Flower” gives off a magical boom bap edge showing his love for the Bonnie to his Clyde while “Back Home” by The Steiner Brothers talks about elevating over kicks, snares & a soul sample. “Say So” rightfully asserting Dirtwave’s masterpiece status & “Power Trippin’” ends it by discussing counting differently.

I’ve given Futurewave his props for being one of the greatest underground producers in recent memory plenty of times before & as I had expected, Dirtwave here has now surpassed Pray for My Prey in becoming my favorite body of work in Pro Dillinger’s discography. The production is as perfectly consistent as the previously mentioned debut if not taken to newer heights, I like that they’re only 3 guests & the Haverstraw lyricist himself goes harder than he did on his last 2 offerings.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Blood Incantation – “Absolute Elsewhere” review

Blood Incantation is a progressive death metal band from Denver, Colorado consisting of bassist Jeff Barrett, guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky, drummer Isaac Faulk & frontman Paul Riedl. Exploding in 2016 off their full-length debut Starspawn, it wasn’t until the 2019 sophomore effort & one of the best metal albums from the previous decade in my personal opinion Hidden History of the Human Race where I personally started catching onto them musically. It’s been 5 years since the groundbreaking statement was made & they’re finally returning for their 3rd studio LP.

“The Stargate” begins the first half of the LP with this 20 minute progressive death metal epic split in 3 parts additionally pulling from Berlin school, progressive rock & space rock. Part I lyrically discusses all life being suffering that basks in nothingness & after an appearance from Tangerine Dream bandleader Thorsten Quaeschning during the Part I, the 3rd & final installment of the saga talking about finally reaching stellar solitude assuring the circle can be brokеn once more. 

“The Message” starts the other with another 20 minute prog death metal roller coaster ride continuing the progressive space rock undertones asking what means to be human during Part I, waking up when the souls start to call your name through Part II & debating whether all of this is for nothing or if your life’s part of something on Part III to round things out.

Absolute Elsewhere is unlike anything you’ve ever heard from Blood Incantation before. At roughly 45 minutes, the 2 compositions that make up this album are as confounding as they are engaging in their scope melding the 70s prog leanings with the deathly intent of Morbid Angel. Taking its’s title from the mid-70’s prog collective best known as a celestial stopover for King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford, the Denver band are leaving the notion of genre behind and writing a new language for extreme music itself.

Score: 4.5/5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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