Ohgeesy – “Paid N Full” review

Ohgeesy is a 31 year old rapper from Los Angeles, California notable for being a member of the seminal nervous group the Shoreline Mafia now consisting of him & Fenix Flexin’ as of me writing this. Following their hiatus as a unit, Ohgeesy has since put out 2 solo mixtapes GEEZYWORLD & GEEZYWORLD 2 under Atlantic Records to mixed reception. In light of him signing a new deal with 300 Entertainment though, his official full-length solo debut is coming in time for Valentine’s Day although it’s not lovey dovey necessarily.

The title track begins with this sample-driven trap intro talking about getting the money, flipping it & stacking it higher whereas “Keep Goin’” produced by Hit-Boy is a highlight for me personally advising to not give up & move forward on top of what I consider to be amongst the strongest instrumentals. “Fa Real” brings more of a bouncier flare to the table boasting that he’s the one calling shots while “What It Iz” featuring Lefty Gunplay highlights their success & relentless hustle in the street & music.

Charlotte Hornets player Miles Bridges has one of the weaker guest appearances on the song “Digital” referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 9-time WWE tag team champion, 8 time WWE Cruiserweight Champion & アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン & The Crash’s inaugural Mundial Pesocompleto Campeon Rey Mysterio fresh off staring at the newest Monday Night RAW superstar in former AEW World Tag Team Champion, AEW World Trios Champion, HoG Tag Team Champion, TNA World Champion, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion, the longest reigning 3-time AAA Mundial Parejas Campeon, AAA Mundial Mixtas Parejas Campeon, AAA Latinoamericano Campeon, The Crash Pesocrucero Campeon, The Crash Parejas Campeon, MLW World Tag Team Champion, PWG World Tag Team Champion & ROH World Tag Team Champion Penta to start this year’s Royal Rumble leading into “Cuttin’” featuring Saweetie making up for it as they talk about making it rain in the west coast today.

“Cropped Out” kinda gives off some Mobb vibes altogether assuring that he ain’t on some middle man shit at all & he loading up with the chopper with his gloves on prior to the Shoreline Mafia reuniting for “Heat Stick” including a reference to 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena who recently put over former WWE Intercontinental Champion & 10-time WWE Tag Team Champion Jey Uso at this year’s Royal Rumble that is until “Tell Me Something” featuring Kalan.FrFr boasts about them doing drank in the club.

Meanwhile on “Let It Be Known”, we have Ohgeesy telling his girlfriend the name of this very album we’re dissecting start to finish in advance & it’s her world while “Novio #2” featuring Jr. H tells their ex-girlfriends that they completely understand of them moving on to new men. “Babygirl” hits on a woman who’s been looking for a thug in her life while “Wanna Fuck” by Jeeezy, Kalan.FrFr & the Shoreline Mafia shows a sensual side to them.

The BlueBucksClan & Wallie the Sensei get together for “Wet” continuing the themes of list while “Work” feels more like an Ohgeesy solo track with Fenix Flexin on the hook than a Shoreline Mafia joint. “Refrigerated” featuring Luh Tyler boats they both of them stay ice cold out in the streets & “Yacht Master” addresses not taking credit for every time his brother slides homaging the titular brand of Rolex watches.

Geezy has always being a personal favorite member of the Shoreline Mafia & regardless of the divided responses both GEEZYWORLD tapes got, he really takes it up a couple notches for what he’ll even tell you himself is the official debut album in his discography. The production refines the nervous elements of both of those mixtapes & the guest list isn’t really all that bad either.

Score: 3.5/5

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Dody6 – “Dodyworld” review

This is the 4th full-length studio LP from South Central Los Angeles, California rapper Dody6. Beginning at the start of the decade with a couple EPs Deep in da Gang & Sumn 4 the Streets, his debut album #FreeDody & the sophomore effort Property of the State made a name for himself as someone to keep an eye out for in the nervous scene as did The Godfather. Few months after his appearance on “hey now” off Kendrick Lamar’s 6th album GNX last fall, we’re entering the Nightshift & Dayshift of Dodyworld.

“Who” gets things going with this nervous instrumental talking about being 40 crips deep whereas “Stomach Ache” hooks up some pianos to promise that he’ll always be himself without a giving a fuck what others say. “Savage Mode” featuring R3 da Chillman finds the 2 showing off the ruthlessness that’s inside of both of them keeping the traffic music vibes in tact while “Rich as Fucc” talks about not being the one to fuck with.

Yatta joins Dody for “‘Bout My Life” keeps the nervous atmosphere going cautioning that they stay carrying the sticks on them just before “Dead Homiez” featuring Lefty Gunplay & X4 has my favorite beat on the album from Hit-Boy bring a Mobb-heavy there to the table matched with the trio displaying their gang ties. “Not the Same” featuring HBK Jachi goes for a traffic vibe talking about doing what they had to, but then “Cold N Here” featuring X4 links up so they can get money over on their side.

“Pressured Up” lets out some anger he’s been bottling up prepared to slide & people annoying him with a bunch of weird shit leading into “Demons” featuring Li Rye talks about nobody touching them because their homies got guns. “Party of Your Life” featuring Tru Carr works in more pianos to point out the amount of bitches in this party while “Sleeping Without You” featuring 03 Greedo talking about their lovers keeping them focused.

The penultimate song “Girls Gone Wild” welcomes everyone to the wildest party you’ve been to getting shit hype with him as the pilot of it all with heavy sub-basses, simple melodies, slow, sparse & slamming drums backing him that is until the closer “Air CNC” finishes it all up by getting this bitch jumpin’ advising for everyone to listen up if you want him to explain how you can be living. “Changed Me” begins Disc 2 boasting how smooth he is on the mic over some keys while “Trippin’” fuses g-funk & hyphy together talking about touching more chicken than the pots.

“Hating on Me” works in a woodwind warning that he shouldn’t be one to be pushed clapping back at his detractors in light of his biggest feature yet while “Day 4” featuring X4 looks at both of them tryna get their bust-downs whether it be their teeth or wrists. “Why” featuring Lil Vada returns to the nervous wheelhouse double-crossing hoes in the vein of Kyrie Irving while “Big Sandwich” goes off the top backed by some finger-snaps feeling more like himself.

Not too surprised by the Detroit trap feels of “Dozing Off” since some of that style borrows from the traffic scene a bit keeping his circle small enough excluding his own friends around him while “No Competition” featuring Shybelligerent talks about everyone making it to the top when it’s all said & done. “Just Bait” menacingly keeps a 3-headed snake on him betting his mother’s life on it while “Another Dimension” gives a glimpse of him getting extremely fucked up.

“Off Drugs” talks about spazzing out so hard to the point where a lot of people speculate that he’s geekin’ off substances while “Class Over” featuring 03 Greedo & Ralfy the Plug surpasses “Sleeping with You” from Disc 1 as a collaboration. “Troop By Myself” stunts on everything who disses Hood Trophy Records & confidently dismisses the need for any backup regarding them being handled while “Dody Did It” ends by talking about feeling like he has to lie since the truth hurts.

Dody’s been working on Dodyworld for a little while before GNX randomly came out & shocked the whole world, so hearing that this was gonna be a double LP made the stakes even higher for it although I probably would’ve enjoyed it more if you took the highlights from both discs & combined them into 1. There’s nothing wrong with the nervous-heavy production nor are there any issues with Dody’s own performances; the main critique that I have of this is the feature performances are generally hit or miss.

Score: 3/5

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Fat Ray – “Food From the Gods” review

Detroit, Michigan veteran Fat Ray returning after 4 years for his 4th album. A member of the trio B.R. Gunna alongside Black Milk & Young RJ, he would eventually go solo in 2008 by dropping the criminally slept-on The Set Up, but it wouldn’t be until a full decade later when it was followed with both The Lunch Room mixtape & then his sophomore effort Perseus. Santa Barbara proved to be the strongest since his debut & he’s taking it back to where it all began on Food From the Gods.

After the “From the Gods” intro, the first song “Elderberry” starts with a trippy boom bap instrumental wanting to know how to sow & reap whereas “Talcum” psychedelically talks about having that powder. “Cane” featuring Guilty Simpson works in a guitar sample to warn that you’ll get popped for playin’ with them, but then “Just Say No” featuring Danny Brown fuses jazz rap & drumless together cautioning that this ain’t chess.

“Double It” continues the sampling boasting that he’s been doubling up while “Franky Lymon” featuring Bruiser Wolf atmospherically talks about who these hoes think they are. “El Hongo (The Mushroom)” explains that you either fight or fly heading for a rap rock vibe just before the orchestral “Stash” talks about cashing ruling. The final song “Gotta Know” ahead of the “Daily Bread” outro charismatically shows off his brilliance to finish his best album since his debut.

Over 15 years after Black Milk helped cook up Ray’s acclaimed debut, they get back together for a successor that show’s how much both of them have grown since then. Granted that Food From the Gods can be quirky sometimes, it’s mostly a grimey sonic ride through the streets of the Motor City with raw tales told through the lens of the ever so sharp & witty standout of the Bruiser Brigade crew.

Score: 4.5/5

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WTM Solid – “Imagine That” review

Detroit rapper WTM Solid putting out his long-awaited debut studio album. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, he also embarked on a solo career of his own beginning a couple years ago with the debut EP Originatour followed by both Matter of Time & What’s the Difference?. The most recent EP in his catalog Bigg dropped last spring shortly following Tourmania II & became my favorite of the 4 that Solid has put out. 9 months later, he’s ready to take his career to the next level on Imagine That.

“Nobody” sets the tone of what’s to come with a sample-driven trap opener flexing that no one can fuck with him whereas “Umbrella” maintains a prominent Detroit trap sound instrumentally talking about it being go-time after being pissed off. “Richer Than Them” featuring Warhol.Ss brings the 2 together so they can discuss working too hard to lose everything for nothing while the synth-based “Ballin’ a Bitch” talks about understanding the way shit get sometimes.

As for “Can’t Relate”, we have Solid maintaining the Detroit trap vibes breaking down the fact that nobody around him is fake & getting his shit together just before “Not My Hoe” talks about being a God & assuming that he probably got resurrected. “Joaquin Guzman” uncannily suggests to feed your family instead of that nonsense if you really wanna be gangsta leading into “Lani” confessing he wants to put Rick Owens on his daughter.

“To the Max” featuring Rafa & Samuel Shabazz finds the trio joining forces to dabble with plugg a bit interestingly taking shots at people tryna be them when they can be themselves while “Girls Around the WRLD” puts a heavy chopped & screwed effect on his vocals even with the Detroit trap beat. “Krusty Krab” asks what the fuck $20k is when he’s a trillionare while “Best of You” featuring WTM Re clarifying that they can’t tell you of the shit they involved in.

To get Imagine That’s final leg going, “Now You Get It” wants to know why every song that wins of these muhfuckas be making lately be about a specific opp in mind referring to himself as rightfully being fresher while “No Tomatoes” talks about keeping your shit away from him since he don’t fuck with flukes. “Venom” laughs off the stupidity of people nowadays calling them wack on the mic anyway & “Toast Up” featuring CL4Y ends the album talking about being a different breed.

All 4 of the EPs in WTM Solid’s discography has all been building up to this point & with Bigg showing considerable improvement above its predecessors, I was confident that Imagine That was going to take it even higher & that’s exactly what it does. I find the production to be on par with the EP that came out last spring & lyrically, Solid goes even harder than he did 9 months ago although a couple of the guests missed the landing.

Score: 3.5/5

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The Punchline Academy – “The Punchline Playbook” review

The Punchline Academy is a collective formed by The Bronx, New York producer, videographer, entrepreneur & Sirius XM host Da Inphamus Amadeuz. Exemplifying what it means to be a modern hip hop mogul, he brings together a powerhouse roster featuring iconic names & underground talents to bridge hip hop’s golden era with its evolving modern landscape on the Academy’s first lesson being taught through their full-length debut studio album entirely produced by none other than it’s leader.

Onyx & Ricky Bats get together for a 5 minute freestyle as the intro with Onyx outshining Ricky over a horn-heavy boom bap instrumental whereas “Delay the Drama” by Styles P & Blazin was a great choice of a lead single as they get together telling y’all to come fuck with the real. “It’s Like a Jungle” by Blazin, Kiko Medina, Rah tha Ruler, Shortee Sha, Spittin Image & Tahmell brings the sextet together to showcase their punchline abilities in 3 & a half minutes, but then “Another Day” by Amber Simone & Tahmell heads for a jazzy boom bap direction giving a look at another day in their lives.

“Can’t Do Nothing Right” by G. Dep showcases how much he still has it lyrically even if one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye formerly known as Kanye West is demanding that disgraced Bad Boy Entertainment founder Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy should be freed from federal custody & even going as low as to release Free Puff merch on his Yeezy webstore in a 50/50 collaboration with Diddy’s own fashion-line Sean John when his abuse of women has been well documented at this point just before “ICU” gives Rah tha Ruler a chance to shine on his own.

Kiko Medina & Tahmell link back up with each other on “Dope Spot” refusing to stop until they run the whole block while “Keeping the Culture” by Da Inphamus Amadeus himself reminds the world of his MCing skills coming off The Diam Piece 3: Duo last month. “Character” by Rah tha Ruler, SOS Bishop & Spittin Image addressing those who wanna know if they feel the pressure while “Air Traffic Control” by Canibus & Tahmell flexes how fly they are. “I Don’t Like That” by Blazin, Kiko Medina, Rah tha Ruler & Tahmell ends the colelctive’s debut expressing their dislikes in people.

This guy has proven himself as a driving force both on stage & behind the scenes moving hip hop culture forward, so for him to come together by naming this new collective after his weekly show on SiriusXM’s Shade 45 only makes sense. His production is primarily based in the traditional boom bap sound & all the guests showcasing their punchline abilities. If there’s an ever another lesson in The Punchline Playbook as its title suggests, I think the saga could get even better as it is with time.

Score: 4/5

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Larry June & 2 Chainz – “Life is Beautiful” review

Vallejo, California rapper & songwriter Larry June joining forces with Atlanta, Georgia rapper, actor & songwriter 2 Chainz for a brand new collaborative studio LP. Both of whom have already crossed paths with one another a couple times in recent years on the tracks “Still Boomin’” & “Ocean Cuisine”, ultimately deciding to get together with one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist to entirely produce Life is Beautiful after being teased on Twitter a couple months ago sparking interest even further by letting off a couple singles the previous month & 2 Chainz appearing on WWE’s flagship program Monday Night RAW on Netflix a couple weeks ago.

“Munyon Canyon” is a drumless intro with both of them talking about needing everything whereas “Colossal” works in a reversed sample to admit they find it therapeutic counting it up referencing WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger & calling it exactly the way they see it. “I Been” continues to strip the drums as they discuss minding their own business leading into “LLC” talking about how there’s so much money to get bringing a boom bap flare to the table instrumentally.

The jazzy, drumless & boom bap lead single “Bad Choices” was one to begin the rollout perfectly wanting to know where all the good women who make bad decisions are at in the building while the title track has a flute sample that I really enjoy as they discuss the beauties of life. “Generation” dabbles with trap again talking about being the ones getting kids doing drugs, but then “Any Day” strips the drums to talk about giving their all.

“Epiphany” begins the final leg of Life is Beautiful on a mellow note flexing that their cribs be looking exactly like an Airbnb & “Tru Organics” continues to keep the drums out the equation talking about money being the motivator. “Jean Prouvé” psychedelically comes to the realization of them getting their minds right while “Days Like This” starts the deluxe run praising God daily for their blessings. The final bonus track “Spy Hunter” featuring The Alchemist ends with the trio chillin’ on a yacht & staying forever hungry.

Larry has brought the best out of 2 Chainz in the past throwing it back to his Tity Boi days & even though I initially thought that Jay Worthy was gonna be on here a couple months ago, the former Playaz Circle member taps in with The Freeminded Records founder to take their chemistry to the next level. Alchemist’s production is mostly drumless other than some hints of boom bap & trap for both of them to drop their signature luxurious raps.

Score: 4.5/5

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Yung Fazo – “Zo” review

Yung Fazo is a 19 year old up-&-coming recording artist from New York City notable for making waves in the plugg & rage subgenres of trap music by releasing a total of 2 EPs & a full-length debut studio album only halfway through the current decade. He dropped off a couplet of tracks last spring & granted it’s only been 9 months since, he’s back with a sophomore effort a little over 26 months after he broke down the internal conflict he was prominently portraying during the course of the last LP.

“B4U” kicks the door down with this rage-inducing opener produced by Ginseng telling his romantic interest exactly how much he adores her whereas “Ed Hardy” references the current TNA World Tag Team Champion in his 3rd reign & inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy of The Hardy Boyz. “Bang Bang” cautions to be careful if you ever step around his parts since he’ll let the chopper sing, but then “All in Motion” electronically switches up his flow to talk about ambition, heartbreak & self-discovery.

Moving on from there, “Bring It Back” works in some catchy synthesizers to discuss the woman he’s currently seeing being different & that he’s been fighting demons trying to move on while “Fuk Love” gets back on the hypertrap vibes pondering if the drugs are really fucking up his soul leading into “Moving On” telling his ex he doesn’t want to do her wrong.

“Me, Myself & I” tells a hoe that he’s gonna blow telling her that he wishes he could love except he’s off that drank while the synth-heavy “Psycho” talks about being insane after a girl that he was seeing observed his psychosis. “Run” throws it back to “Headlines” by Drake acknowledging that he knew he would make bands while “Geeked Up” brings back the rage talking about being geeked.

The penultimate track “Rip My Soul” begins the final moments of Yung Fazo’s full-length studio debut coming clean of the biggest mistake in his life being him giving his heart away being on the go as of late with n9ck & the closer “Kurt Cobain” takes it’s name after the iconic Nirvana frontman feeling exactly like him after a bitch has fucked him up leaving a couple scars after stabbing him in the back in the end.

Compared to his 2022 debut, I find myself gravitating more towards Fazo’s highly-anticipated successor than a lot of what I’ve heard from him until now. The production is heavily built around the rage sound & by the title taking its name from an abbreviation of his moniker, he lets listeners in as to who he is personally.

Score: 3.5/5

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The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow” review

Toronto, Ontario, Canada singer/songwriter The Weeknd ending a 5 year trilogy with his 6th studio LP. Rising to stardom in the early 2010s with a trilogy of highly acclaimed mixtapes, he then made his full-length debut in 2013 with Kiss Land which was a decent attempt at symbolizing tour life forming his own Republic Records imprint X♥O Records after nearly signing to Drake’s label OVO Sound. The sophomore effort Beauty Behind the Madness proved to be even better as it started to incorporate elements of pop, although Starboy ended up being another mixed bag much like Kiss Land except he embraced a more electropop sound. Abel’s debut EP My Dear Melancholy, though was a solid return to his alternative R&B roots & let’s not forget After Hoursgoing on to becoming the best album of his career thus far in my opinion. Dawn FM picked up right where it left off & the final chapter Hurry Up Tomorrow is finally upon us.

“Wake Me Up” produced with Oneohtrix Point Never & Mike Dean is this epic 2-part intro to begin the end balancing synthwave & synth-funk started singing about his legacy being the only thing he has & it feels as if he’s dying whereas “Cry for Me” works in more synthesizers & hi-hats thanks to Metro Boomin’ interpolating “Within” by Daft Punk hoping that a woman I presume to be his ex Bella Hadid still cries for him. After the “I Can’t Fucking Sing” skit which I highly disagree with it’s title, “São Paulo” featuring Anitta was the weakest single of the 3 although I appreciate the fusion of funk mandelão, alternative R&B, synthwave, funk automotivo, mega funk & Brazilian phonk.

After the “Until We’re Skin & Bones” skit, the 3rd single “Baptized in Fear” dives into the feeling of being overwhelmed by guilt & regret going for more of a general alternative R&B vibe while “Open Hearts” explores themes of healing from heartbreak & learning to love again treats his love interest as an angel in disguise. The criminally short “Opening Night” sings over a futuristic instrumental to give him what I want & the show will start just before “Reflections Laughing” featuring a verse & drumless production from honorary WWE Hardcore Champion Travis Scott fresh off appearing with former WWE Intercontinental Champion & 10-time WWE tag team champion Jey Uso at the Netflix premiere of Monday Night RAW made possible by TKO board of directors members WWE President Nick Khan alongside TKO President & COO Mark Shapiro brings the 2 together to talk about vulnerability, self-reflection & the pressures of fame.

“Enjoy the Show” featuring Future has a clever interpolation of “Can’t Feel My Face” making way for both of them coming together for a light R&B-inspired duet revolving around the concept of heartbreak leading into the 2-parter “Given Up on Me” asking God for his company preferring the final half more personally. “I Can’t Wait to Get There” brings a synth-funk flare to the table singing about the darkness keeping his romantic interest shining ahead of the official WrestleMania XLI theme song “Timeless” featuring Playboi Carti with Doechii on the remix uniting over a Pharrell beat uniquely molding trap, pop rap, alternative R&B, synthwave, cloud rap, trap soul, wave music & plugg.

Meanwhile on “Niagara Falls”, we have another 2-part track portraying The Weeknd looking back on a woman he used to love & got to hold until the sun used to come up while “Take Me Back to LA” comes across as a official sequel to the After Hours highlight “Escape from LA” wanting to return to the very city that he wanted to escape from nearly 5 years ago. “Big Sleep” hooks up some prominent synths telling his lover that she knows she loves it when she’s angry while the synth-funk driven “Give Me Mercy” sings about wanting God to grant him leniency.

“Drive” starts the final leg of Hurry Up Tomorrow confessing fame being a disease & not wanting to waste others’ time while “The Abyss” describes the fleetingness of love between him & his partner in the midst of the world erupting into despair. “Red Terror” goes for an electro-pop direction showcasing a distanced relationship that never loses its primary spark while the synth-based “Without a Warning” hopes his fans will love him until his final day.

The title track officially concludes The Weeknd’s swan song hoping he finds what he’s looking for being done with the lies & the loss genuinely hopping his confession of wanting to change is enough transitioning into “High for This” while “Dancing in the Flames” starts the deluxe run with a decent teaser of what was to come synthpop, dance-pop, synthwave, freestyle & Hi-NRG encapsulating the idea of a passionate love that endures through risks & chaos. “Runaway” acoustically assures all are safe in the afterlife while “Society” is a dance-pop number wanting to show his lover how it feels. The final bonus track “Closing Night” that the Swedish House Mafia & Wheezy laced together ends with a “Opening Night” sequel that’s more fleshed out than the predecessor.

Whatever’s next for Abel this point forward, the new trilogy of albums that he’s put out during the first half of this current decade shows how much he’s grown since House of Balloons, Thursday & Echoes of Silence all put him in the forefront of alternative R&B & now pop music in general. The production culminates in alternative R&B, synthpop, synthwave, trap, progressive electronic, dance-pop, synth-funk, drumless, funk mandelão, funk automotivo, mega funk, Brazilian phonk, pop rap, cloud rap, trap soul, wave, plugg, synthpop, freestyle & Hi-NRG music reaching a point in his life where he wants to to shed skin & be reborn.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jamie Madrox – “More Music You Don’t Wanna Hear from Someone You Barely Like” review

This is the 4th solo LP from Detroit emcee, singer/songwriter, Astronomicon co-founder & former Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) commentator Jamie Madrox. His start as 1/3 of the House of Krazees alongside The R.O.C. & Monoxide, the latter of whom would join Mr. Bones in signing to Psychopathic Records in late 1997 as Twiztid & becoming one of the biggest acts to emerge out of the label that runs beneath the streets under the Insane Clown Posse’s wing for 15 years until forming Majik Ninja Entertainment to do it themselves. Jamie briefly went solo in the mid-90s off his debut EP The Demon Inside & the full-length debut Sacrifice, returning over a decade later for the Psychopathic-backed sophomore effort Phatso & a couple months ago on The November Brain. And with Twiztid getting ready to drop their 17th album Welcome to Your Funeral produced by Zeuss a couple weeks from now on Valentine’s Day & Juggalo Weekend, the multiple man has More Music You Don’t Wanna Hear from Someone You Barely Like.

“This Ain’t No Safe Space” is a solemn boom bap intro produced by Fritz the Cat welcoming y’all to the story of The Great Skull & the Graybow whereas “Man on the Edge” takes the trap route instrumentally courtesy of Grady Finch not giving a fuck what they gotta say. “Frazzled” fuses boom bap, rap rock & trap thanks to James Garcia or the artist formerly known as Young Wicked giving middle fingers to everyone above the criticism prior to the drum-&-bass “Free Fall” not wanting anyone to think he isn’t afraid because he is.

Moving on from there, “Sunny Always Forever” serves as another trap/rap rock hybrid talking about having enough problems being himself rather than wondering what it’s like being you while the only single “Fairy Tale” switches it up with a rock ballad singing that he wants things to go back to the way it used to be. “Am I Allowed 2B Me?” gets back on the hardcore hip hop vibe wanting to know if he can be himself just before “Fallin’ Out the Sky” returns to the boom bap talking about there being a lot of stories between here & greatness

“Rotate” begins the backend of More Music You Don’t Wanna Hear from Someone You Barely Like by experimenting with the Detroit trap sound explaining that it’s always the same fate when it’s him against them while “Until I Become Dirt” brings a morbid trap flare refusing to stop grindin’ until the wheels fall off. “☠️ Don’t Like Me ‘Cause I’m Already ☠️” ends the LP showing his versatility once again singing on top of this upbeat instrumental feeling alone.

It’s only been a couple months since The November Brain initially came out & despite me still enjoying it more than Phatso due to both the rawness of it & the amount of guests, More Music You Don’t Wanna Hear from Someone You Barely Like goes above & beyond the predecessor. The production mostly handled by Grady Finch & James Garcia is more consistent pulling from boom bap to hardcore hip hop, trap & rock music with Jamie showing his versatility as an artist by rapping stronger of even a couple tracks highlighting his singing abilities.

Score: 4.5/5

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MIKE – “Showbiz!” review

Livingston, New Jersey emcee & 10k Global founder MIKE ending the first month of 2025 with his 7th studio LP. Breaking out a decade ago off his debut mixtape Winter New York, he would continue to make a name for himself by churning out 4 more tapes as well as his previous 4 albums & 8 EPs full of amongst the finest abstract hip hop that you’ll hear within the last decade. Standouts include May God Bless Your Hustle, War in My Pen & even the Faith is a Rock collab effort with Wiki entirely produced by The Alchemist. Burning Desire has become his best work yet & 10 months after Pinball, he’s back in Showbiz!.

“Bear Trap” strips the drums with some jazzy & abstract elements thrown in to get us started talking about his future being in the music industry whereas “Clown of the Class (Work Harder)” works in some heavily sampling to break down him still hustling during a new day. “Then we could be free..” turns the jazz rap influences up again explaining there’s shit you can’t replace for the cheese like a bracelet just before “Watered down” soulfully talks about those reducing the force or effectiveness of their styles.

As for “man in the mirror”, we have MIKE going for a peppier vibe instrumentally to discuss his adaptability leading into “Artist of the Century” hooks up a prominent flute so he can talk about putting his life on the fact that he’s the best making music in the 21st century. “What U Bouta Do? (A Star was Born)” featuring 454 sees the pair coming together suggesting that being in their shoes is a scary route referencing the Paramount Skydance Corporation, but then a personal standout “Belly 1” produced by Harrison talks about shit being cruel & never deter.

“Da Roc” kinda has this glitch hop/trap vibe throughout admitting to feeling like JAY-Z at times & that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s rockin’ with y’all while “The Weight (2K20)” takes the drumless jazz rap route taking about struggling with the shade & the passive abusiveness. “Lost Scribe” smoothly cautions a war going every time he’s scribing wanting his respect when he’s throwing the dice while “You’re the Only One Watching” gets on the drumless, chipmunk soup tip thanking God whilst talking to the sky.

To get the other half of Showbiz! started, “Lucky” hops over these crooning background vocals making his mission clear that he’s out for every bag as he can possibly take while the woozy “#82” assures that he can piece a broken heart together. After the “Too Hot” interlude, “Pieces of a Dream” experiments with some dub undertones throughout the jazz rap lead single acknowledging the rain ain’t done while the groovy “Strange Feeling” talks about tryin’ to skip the jump rope of life & puttin’ his life into this shit since it’s only 1 go.

“Zombie 2” entrancingly picks up right where the Burning Desire highlight left off conceptually reflecting on when he was once blind not seeing shit & leaving it up to the God’s since he’s tired of achieving while “Burning House” goes for a soulful, psychedelic 2-parter talking about learning how to be a part of something rather than the whole thing. The drumless title track warning that people know better than going against him while “Spun Out” suggesting having too much heart for this shit & possibly running out.

The song “Miss U” officially reaches the final moments of Showbiz! with MIKE taking a backseat vocally allowing duendita to demonstrate her singing chops for a minute & a half R&B joint serving as a bridge to the track “When It Rains” apologizes for his lyrics getting dark wondering if it’s bad the feelings he once had for this woman departed me since he hardly hits her line anymore. “Diamond Dancing (Broke)” closes the album hoping to stay close before he feels a certain way & there being no better way to cope once going separate ways.

Considered as a spiritual successor to Disco!, Showbiz! lifts the curtain on the everyday realities of life on tour absorbs an era of influence with MIKE’s use of lounge music records whether it be pitching up neglected soul singles & ultimately creating his own style as opposed to the predecessor moving to the rhythm of carefree dancefloors. The sounds of drumless, experimental hip hop, jazz rap, trap & dub pair up with MIKE’s abstract lyricism to make his point that he’s more than an artist.

Score: 4.5/5

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