Godspeed You! Black Emperor – “No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead” review

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a highly revered post-rock band from Montréal, Québec, Canada consisting of guitarist/keyboardist Efrim Menuck, bassist Mauro Pezzente, guitarist Mike Moya, bassist Thierry Amar, guitarist David Bryant, drummer/percussionist Aidan Girt, violinist Sophie Trudeau, film projector Karl Lemieux, drummer/percussionist Timothy Herzog & film projector Philippe Léonard. Their debut album F♯A♯∞ & more specifically the sophomore effort Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven! would become landmarks in experimental rock subgenre, disbanding for a period of time after Yanqui U.X.O. came out. They returned a decade later with ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! & ‘Asunder, Sweet & Other Distress’ during my high school years followed by Luciferian Towers & G_d’s Pee at State’s End!. 3 years after the latter, GY!BE’s returning for their 8th full-length studio LP.

“Sun Is a Hole Sun Is Vapors” starts us off by taking the post-rock sound that the band is known for & fusing it with chamber music for roughly 5 & a half minutes whereas “Baby’s in a Thundercloud” epically continues to put an emphasis on timbre, texture & atmosphere over traditional conventions while often embracing Western Classical influences further. “Raindrops Cast in Lear” is another excellent chamber/post-rock hybrid to finish the LP’s first half while “Broken Spires at Dead Kapital” could be my least favorite track here although I appreciate the drone-spin on Western Classical music. “Pale Spectator Takes Photographs” primarily builds itself around these stellar, tension-raising guitars & “Grey Rubble – Green Shoots” finishes with an outstandingly melancholic post-rock/chamber music single.

Inspired by the ongoing war between Israel & Hamas that officially began a year ago this upcoming weekend, what the post-rock titans get across during the 6 track/55 minute listening experience is the old world order hardly claimed to care & this new century will be even crueler. Needless to say, it culminates in calling for everyone everyone to hold on & not give up by choosing your side in the conflict naming itself after the amount of people who’ve lost their lives 4 months after it all started since recording began during the winter of bombs. They take everything that made G_d’s Pee at State’s End! enjoyable minus the field recordings & channel their frustrations with Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Score: 4.5/5

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The Smile – “Cutouts” review

The Smile is an art rock trio from Oxfordshire, United Kingdom consisting of drummer Tom Skinner, guitarist/bassist Jonny Greenwood & frontman Thom Yorke. Forming in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic & signing to XL Recordings on the spot, they made their debut in the spring of 2022 with the well received A Light for Attracting Attention showing additional influences of post-punk, chamber pop, art pop, math rock, jazz-rock & krautrock. The sophomore effort Wall of Eyes at the beginning of the year primarily based itself around art rock, post-rock krautrock, neo-psychedelia & ambient pop continuing the acclaim & are looking to start the final quarter of 2024 the way they ended the first month of it for their 3rd album.

“Foreign Spies” is this ambient pop/progressive electronic opener with Thom singing about it’s a beautiful world paved with gold & people grabbing kitchen knives every time our backs are turned whereas “Instant Psalm” works in some acoustics & even these orchestral elements towards the backend of it discussing the many forms of emptiness. “0 Sum” draws inspiration from art punk, dance-punk, math rock, krautrock & mutant disco referring to overconfidence as a red flag prior to “Colours Fly” talking about how you can change your mind over art rock instrumentation.

We have The Smile passionately on the verge of completing a transformation beginning all this all over again on “Eyes & Mouth” finishing the first leg of Cutouts just before “Don’t Get Me Started” brings ambient pop, neo-psychedelia, indietronica, dub, progressive electronic & dub techno all together making it clear that your force ain’t shit. “Tiptoe” refers to themselves as baggage with no label over an ambient pop beat leading into “The Slip” blending indie rock, indietronica, post-punk, post-rock, art rock & krautrock referencing climate change, nuclear war, political disillusionment & the impact of world leaders on Earth itself.

“No Words” nears the final moments of the LP singing about joining the dots & coloring in aroad that’s paved with good intentions over a shredding guitar with a somewhat funky vibe to it while “Bodies Laughing” finishes the band’s 3rd consecutive classic unearthing a track dating all the way back to 1995 & almost made the final cut of In Rainbows, which happens to be my 3rd favorite Radiohead album behind OK Computer& Kid A personally fusing art rock with psychedelic folk & bossa nova music.

Created around the same time frame as Wall of Eyes, this is noticeably more challenging than it’s predecessor prioritizing atmosphere over conventional songwriting & it makes for interesting results a lot like just about everything The Smile has done in almost half a decade. They show more versatility than they did back in January staying rooted in their signature art rock sound additionally pulling from jazz-rock, art punk, dance-punk, math rock, mutant disco, ambient pop, dub, progressive electronic, dub techno, indie rock, indietronica, post-punk, post-rock, krautrock, neo-psychedelia, indietronica, dub, progressive electronic & dub techno psychedelic folk & bossa nova.

Score: 4.5/5

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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

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Rome Streetz – “Hatton Garden Holdup” review

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 5/5

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Twisted Insane – “Halfway Gone” review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 4.5/5

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Joey Cool – “Roller Coaster” review

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 3.5/5

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ClockworC – “Have a Vice Life” review

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 4/5

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Powers Pleasant – “Life Sucks” review

This is the official full length debut studio album from Brooklyn, New York producer & DJ Powers Pleasant. A member of the Pro Era & Beast Coast collectives, he’s had a hand in the instrumentals on some of the latter’s output from The Underachievers’ 3rd mixtape It Happened in Flatbush in 2016 to Joey Bada$$’ politically charged sophomore album ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ in 2017. Powers even came out with his own EP Life is Beautiful & has signed to Mass Appeal Records for the sequel Life Sucks.

“Entro” by Denzel Curry is this cutthroat boom bap opener flexing that he’s the King of the Hill & this Mike Judge his rap skill whereas “Rumble” by Joey Bada$$ works in some horns & hi-hats so he can get violent. “Galore” by DC the Don has some of the weaker performances on the album despite it’s cloudy trap instrumental talking about being allergic to catching feelings, but then “Shmoke” by A$AP Ferg & Armani Caesar finds the pair over a soul sample & hi-hats warning y’all don’t want beef with them.

Denzel Curry, Meechy Darko & Soulja Livin Tru get together for the atmospheric trap joint “Bandoe” flexing that all 3 of them are still boomin’ out the back door just before Joey Bada$$ & SABA team up on the laidback “Ball Alone” talking about not needing any help. “Know Me Now” by DC the Don acoustically sings that he wants to love with no control leading into “That’s Tough” by $not mixing trap & rock discussing doing shit himself tryna find his way.

“Pamper Pamper” by Mike Dimes brings a soulful trap flare to the table pulling out with his homies while “Baby Boy’s Drunk” by AG Club & Audrey Nuna comes through with this annoying attempt at a club banger. “I’m the Shit” by Guapdad 4000 & P-Lo hops over pianos & hi-hats to get boastful while “Wassup” by Jasiah & Tkay Maidza sees the 2 asking what the deal is. “SMH” by Aaron Rose, CJ Fly, Joey Bada$$ & Nyck Caution ends the album repping Pro Era.

The predecessor from 5 years ago Life’s Beautiful was a decent look at what Powers Pleasant’s solo discography could look like going forward & regardless if I didn’t enjoy Life Sucks more than the last EP, I can’t say it’s any worse either if that makes any sense. Powers’ production start to finish is absolutely fine primarily basing itself around a trap sound, the performances during the 36 minute runtime on the contrary tend to be hit or miss.

Score: 3/5

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Tee Grizzley – “Post Traumatic” review

This is the 5th full length studio LP from Detroit rapper & singer/songwriter Tee Grizzley. Originally a member of the quartet ASBH, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he would blow up off his first solo single “First Day Out” & earned a contract with 300 Entertainment. His profile would continue to grow by dropping projects like his debut mixtape My Moment, the debut album Activated, his 2nd tape, Still My Moment, the Timbaland exec-produced sophomore effort Scriptures or my personal favorite: his 3rd mixtape The Smartest. Built for Whatever & Chapters of the Trenches would both later be received moderately and responses towards Half Tee, Half Beast & Tee’s Coney Island were generally mixed, but some of the singles ahead of Post Traumatic made it seem promising.

The intro fuses Mobb music with Detroit trap talking about having post traumatic stress due to his father dying recently & barely knowing his own mother whereas “We Dem” produced by Wheezy works in a symphonic trap instrumental flexing that he’s still him. “Blow for Blow” featuring J. Cole finds the 2 over a signature Pi’erre Bourne beat which is fine except for the “I’m really him, Bruce Jenner, boy just ain’t” line feeling reminiscent to the 1 bar he had on “Pi” off Might Delete Later, but then “All I Wanna Do” goes for a soulful Detroit trap vibe thanks to FNZ looking to get money.

“More Than Half” hooks up some horns & bells from Helluva to talk about half these muhfuckas out here folding eventually leading into “Ride or Die” featuring Tink heading towards more of a synth-based direction for a duet about having only each other on their minds. “Diana” switches gears in favor of a futuristic trap flare courtesy of BNYX from Working on Dying comparing her bitch to the late Princess Diana herself just before the bassy “I Ain’t Sorry” featuring Hunxho that Chopsquad DJ laced sees both of them at their most remorseless.

Meanwhile on “10pm in Detroit”, we have Tee Grizzley on top of these pianos & 808s boasting that he got money flowin’ all night like “Drunk in Love” by The Carters prior to “Swerv” featuring G Herbo putting a minimal emphasis on the drums so they can trade verses with one another without a hook for 3 minutes detailing their gang ties. “WTF I Want” mixes these synth-horns with 808s talking about doing whatever he feels like while the pop rap/trap hybrid “I Know” discusses knowing how to turn dreams into reality.

“Dream Youngin’” starts the 2nd leg of Post Traumatic on some atmospherically chill trap shit thanking everyone who’s ever supported him throughout his career while “Situationship” featuring Mariah the Scientist gives a shot at fusing trap soul & pop rap finding both of them wishing each other the best in the end. “Trench Baby” gets back on the Detroit trap tip talking about being born in the trenches of the Murder Mitten while “You Hear Me” featuring YTB Fatt comes through with this underwhelming team up looking to get their bags up.

Future makes up for some of the mediocrity joining Tee on “Swear to God” boasting that your album doesn’t even slap like Mixtape Pluto does which is valid since he took it back to his roots on there while “Pop Shit” featuring Baby Grizzley finds both Grizzlies shooting for a piano-driven direction instrumentally going from playing GameCubes to VS Cubes. “Deposits Crazy” gives thanks to God for somehow helping him through the pain in his life & “Detroit” featuring 42 Dugg serves as this bangin’ tribute to their hometown.

“Blueprint” pushes towards the final moments of the LP challenging everybody to step up & give back to the city in some type of way while “Suffer in Silence” talks about going off by loyalty & the way you treat him without anyone telling him that shit’s gonna change. As for an official closer, we get treated to the 7th AND the 8th installments of Tee Grizzley’s famous “Robbery” series with Helluva hopping behind the boards for both tracks that Segway into one another perfectly.

The Smartest still stands as my favorite tape in the Detroit trap star’s discography but when it comes to his full-lengths, I came away impressed with Post Traumatic as much as I was with the mixtape that I previously mentioned coming out during the COVID lockdowns. It’s more sonically diverse than what someone might expect being used to the Detroit trap style, showing comfortably yet resolute with these homegrown Michigan beats backing him while thriving across styles from rugged trap to even poppier territory.

Score: 4/5

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Consequence – “Nice Doing Business with You” review

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 3.5/5

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