G-Eazy – “Freak Show” review

Here we have the 7th full-length studio LP from Oakland, California rapper G-Eazy. Breaking out into the mainstream with his 3rd album These Things Happen in 2014, this was followed up a year later with When It’s Dark Out as well as The Beautiful & Damned back in 2017. Scary Nights was a subpar prelude to These Things Happen Too, Everything’s Strange Here easily stands as his embarrassing body of work yet & the These Things Happen was only better by a small margin. Almost 3 years later, G’s bringing the Freak Show to our ears.

After a cringeworthy intro, the first song “Showbiz” has a general hardcore sound than what I typically expect from him describing his musical influences whereas the title track featuring French Montana is where shit really starts heaping up in piles gratingly talking about having 3 hoes each over an uninteresting trap instrumental. “Femme Fatale” featuring Coi Leray & Kaliii samples “Heaven & Hell’s on Earth” by the 20th Century Steel Band discussing feminism although Coi has the best verse, but then Lancey Foux washes G-Eazy harder than Coi on the grimier “Say Less” advising to do simply that.

“Backseat” clouding reminisces being in the backseat of a taxi in New York during the fall with an ex who left him asking if happiness is possible to achieve when it most certainly is while “W.T.F.D.I.K. (What The Fuck Do I Know?)” turns back into trap turf trying to persuade the audience he’s grown when he’s still dropping corny bars like he’s the Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley of hip hop when his music has never been enjoyable as either late artist prior to “South of France” returning to the boom bap asking what he is if he isn’t a star, which I can answer with a below average pop rap artist with a proving discography who went multi-platinum.

Leon Bridges’ hook on “1 Day” might be my favorite on the album nor do I mind the kicks & snares, it’s that I’ve heard the theme of giving his partner the world done better previously. “Love You Forever” produced by Apex Martin was a genuinely heartfelt single dedicated to Gerald’s mother while the 3rd installment of the “Love Killers” trilogy takes it back to his pre-fame roots. “Anxiety” atrociously ends the LP butchering a sample of the London Callingtitle track by The Clash like he wants to be MGK to talk about getting high to ease the pain away.

The Outsider & The Endless Summer have always remained as the most I’ve ever enjoyed any of G-Eazy’s output & granted both of those mixtapes are average at best, none of the EPs or full-lengths he’s offered us over a decade of mainstream popularity have been able to surpass them in quality by punching under their weight & Freak Show sure enough adds on to the pile. Gerald occasionally displays some cool personal moments outside of his usual corniness like “Showbiz or “Love You Forever”, the guest performances are 50/50 & the production makes me appreciate These Things Happen Too’s more by a hair.

Score: 1/5

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NxWorries – “Why Lawd?” review

NxWorries is an MC/producer duo consisting of Oxnard recording artist Anderson .Paak as well as Los Angeles producer Knxwledge. Signing to Stones Throw Records in 2015, their debut EP Link Up & Suede that same winter was an impressively lo-fi neo-soul outing & the full-length debut LP Yes Lawd! built upon those 2 sounds venturing out in contemporary R&B, west coast hip hop & smooth soul too. After an 8 year hiatus however, they’re linking back up for a highly anticipated sophomore effort.

Following the “ThankU” intro, the first song “86Sentra” is a jazzy lo-fi hip hop opener reminding that he did the Super Bowl LVI halftime show with some of the best to ever do it whereas “MoveOn” takes the smooth soul route to discuss being unable to do things that he used to. “KeepHer” featuring Thundercat brings the trio together singing about money being unable to keep their romantic interests over some funky guitar licks just before “Distractions” has a bit of a stripped-back feeling to it refusing to let anything slow him down.

H.E.R. joins NxWorries on “Where I Go” after the “Lookin’” interlude fusing neo-soul, smooth soul & contemporary R&B for a duet as to where .Paak & Knxwledge have been leading into “Daydreaming” crossing over psychedelic soul, neo-soul, smooth soul & hypnagogic pop to fantasize about meeting a woman he’s never met previously. “FromHere” featuring WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg & Death Row Records signee October London mixes neo-soul & west coast hip hop pondering where they go from this point forward, but then “Fall Thru” brings a contemporary R&B flare telling his partner she gon’ have to quit her job.

“Battlefield” sides with those who’re one of a kind or no one else like .Paak rapping his ass off over a slick beat to begin the 2nd half of Why Lawd? while “HereIAm” dabbles with gospel by incorporating organs admitting he ain’t doing shit when it seem like he might be doing things. “OutTheWay” featuring Rae Khalil is a syrupy-synth ballad about starting to think all they need is each other prior to “SheUsed” jumps over guitars singing about the pain taking it’s toll on his heart.

Meanwhile on “MoreOfIt”, we have NxWorries giving off an orchestral hip hop vibe paying off their mommas’ mortgages while the “NVR.RMX” featuring Charlie Wilson on the hook feels like a soulful passing of the torch if you will especially since they lock in near the end of the 2nd & final hook. “DistantSpace” sensually asks if it’s too late with a former partner & ahead of the “EvnMore” outro, the west coast hip hop/neo-soul hybrid “WalkOnBy” featuring Earl Sweatshirt ends the album perfectly showing vulnerability within them.

Almost a decade in & the MC/producer duo in those 2 styles of music mentioned in the final song return after an 8-year hiatus to prove that they haven’t lost a step whatsoever. Knxwledge & Anderson .Paak refine their distinctive combination of soul with the rhythmic percussion & groove of hip hop music that makes nu soul stand out expanding beyond that even on occasions in favor of jazz rap, contemporary R&B, west coast hip hop & smooth soul.

Score: 4.5/5

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Lucki – “Gemini” review

Chicago, Illinois rapper & occasional producer Lucki coming off his birthday from a couple weeks ago to release his 3rd LP. Beginning to turn heads in the summer of 2013 when he released his debut mixtape Alternative Trap to critical acclaim, he would later go on to give his fans 6 more tapes & a dozen EPs with the last one being the F1LTHY-produced Wake Up Lucki a week before my 25th birthday in December 2021. The full-length debut Flawless Like Me saw Lucki finding his style & the sophomore effort s*x mon*y dr*gs was the most I enjoyed Tune’s music in a while, so maintained optimism that Gemini would continue to make those improvements.

To start us off, “On They Way” works in synths & hi-hats from Vanguard Music Group & Internet Money Records in-house producer Cxdy to talk about money turning him into a villain whereas “Courtesy Of” takes the luxurious trap route instrumentally boasting that you can’t play it the way he does out here. “CTA 2 Bach” brings a psychedelic flare to the table talking about cash making everything go his way just before the upbeat “All Love” asks why wouldn’t he bring his gun to the function since he don’t like nobody.

Lil Yachty slides through for the Rio Leyva-produced “Biggavel” so he & Lucki Eck$ can discuss undebatably being on a high right now leading into the atmospheric “Gerskiway” featuring CBFW Records artists Rylo Rodriguez & Veeze going back & forth about their lifestyles. “BRAZY4real” continues to shoot for synth-trap vibe generally calling out those who ain’t letting loose as much as they say they do “Exotic” jumps over pianos & hi-hats living like John Gotti.

“BBY GOAT” featuring Future hooks the synthesizers back up talking about both of them being on a new level while “KYLIE!!!” ends the first half of Gemini by bragging that he’s bigger than Kylie Jenner over rage beats, which personally I would have to agree with since I’m more of a fan of Tuneski than Kylie anyway. “Dotted Line” has more of a futuristic trap approach generally in comparison starring the 2nd leg of the LP killing opponents out here & “Signed Up” atmospherically accepting that whatever comes & is.

Veeze pops back up for the lavish trap banger “Twin Flow” for a cut that I happen to find myself catering towards more than “Gerskiway” treating the paper like friends, but Rylo Rodriguez funny enough returns on “3 SMRS STR8” this time joined by CBFW labelmate 42 Dugg to get on some Detroit trap shit. “X6” defends that you can’t complain because they’re the same ones who made him the way he is continuing to build further upon the Motor City’s unique take on trap while “Hustler Muzik” takes aim at Lucki’s critics towards his newer material.

The song “Heavy on My Heart” samples “Do You Really Mean It?” by Jerry Knight thanks to Coupe suggesting Bossy Simpson made shit look simple when everybody knew that shit get hard while “Ski What It Be” throws the synths & hi-hats back in the picture leaving more than he came with. “RIP” has a chill ass beat that Bhristo cooked up leaving it up to the Deadboy to turn a straight-up hoe into pack & the 2-part outro featuring aadditional Veeze vocals officially closes up shop talking about how he ain’t got nobody.

Although I’d have to still say s*x m*ney dr*gs is be my favorite full-length of the 3 that LUCKI has already offered, Gemini for sure happens to be a solid offering from the influential underground Chi-Town artist either way you put it. He still maintains the cloudy trap production that the predecessor last summer except he’s swapping out the Chicago drill influences in favor of pulling from the Detroit trap scene representing the Midwest even further.

Score: 3.5/5

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jev. – “when angels cry.” review

jev. is a 24 year old underground MC from Ontario, Canada who initially made his mark at the beginning of 2021 by dropping the debut single “Jays”. Next winter saw the release of the debut EP The Color Grey. & eventually the follow-up LONERWRLD came last fall. He just delivered a couplet of singles a month ago & little did I know they were paired together in preparation for jev.’s full-length debut studio album.

“Alice” begins the LP with a soulful boom bap cut so the Congolese-Canadian up-&-comer can vow to show the weaknesses of anyone that tries to take shots at him whereas “The Art of War.” featuring Darion Harris takes the trap route with multiple switch-ups at one point sampling the iconic bell signifying the greatest WWE superstar ever; Hall of Famer, 7-time world champion, 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker continuing to drop hardcore lyricism. “Villains’ Theme” continues from there in the form of a heinous ode to those in the streets prior to the “FEEL$” interlude.

Meanwhile on “Famous.”, we have jev. heading for a symphonic trap direction instrumentally talking about a woman telling him that she wants the fame just before “Save a Spot for Me.”returns to the boom bap warning everyone to stop playing with him by the time he makes his way around the block again. “Wings in the Sky.” has this profound gospel flip throughout getting more personal topically, but then “Wipe My Tears.” featuring August Charles pushes the 2nd leg further jazzily providing optimism in the midst of heartbreak.

“Call Me Back.” featuring Raemi goes drumless for a hip hop/R&B crossover tackling the relatable theme of one’s partner not hitting you back up while “The Killer Shewolf.” sprinkles the pianos, kicks & snares back into the picture culminating in a homie of his getting popped. After the “Man on Fire” interlude, the penultimate song “Wonderland.” featuring Aero Austaire conjoins a rap rock track inspired by My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy-era Kanye with a prominently melodic 2nd half & “The Samurai’s Monologue.” concludes when angels cry. by cooking up a playful trap joint putting the fear of God in people.

Few have summed jev.’s style up as a modern take on old school hip hop marrying the sample-based ethos of classics like Wu-Tang Clan & Nas with the preternatural proficiency of new-school standouts like Kendrick Lamar as well as SABA or Smino, which I can definitely hear throughout the Ontarian’s debut. He balances east coast boom bap, trap, jazz rap, pop rap & on occasion R&B laying his tectonic flows down further pushing him as an underground artist with mainstream appeal.

Score: 4/5

DJ Quik & Jason Martin – “Chupacabra” review

Compton, California producer/emcee DJ Quik reuniting with German-American emcee Jason Martin formerly known as Problem for their 2nd collaborative LP. One is amongst THE most underappreciated producers of all-time who I consider to be on the same level as the Quincy Jones of hip hop himself Dr. Dre behind the boards & the other started out in the mid-2000s crossing paths with QDT during the sessions for WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s 9th album Ego Trippin’. 9 years later, they linked up for the first time on Rosecrans in the spring of 2017 to significant acclaim & are reuniting 7 years later to put out Chupacabra.

The title track featuring The Game starts with pianos, kicks & snares stellarly portraying themselves as 2 versions of the monster even though I respectfully think Game is corny for dissing Rick Ross & siding with Drake in his beef with Kendrick Lamar on “Freeway’s Revenge” to spite Dr. Dre for not letting him perform the Super Bowl LVI halftime show exactly like he did when he made “The Black Slim Shady” off his last album Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind whereas “Dern & Spruce” uses the same sample Madlib did on “No More Parties in L.A.” by Ye formerly known as Kanye West featuring Kendrick talking about being back in this bitch.

“Eazy Call” by DJ Quik himself & Big Hit finds the 2 flipping “Heartz of Men” by 2Pac for an Eazy-E tribute while “Cold Ass 2 Step” works in these carefree horns & claps so Suga Free the pimp himself can handle the verses. Jay Worthy’s crew Meet the Whoops get their very own title track on Chupacabra with the quintet flowing over a boom bap beat for 2 & a half minutes approximately that is until we get a soulful sequel to “She’s Not Around” solely performed by The Game which is as solid as the titular intro & certainly better than the STB Entertainment compilation Time that he hosted last weekend.

Jason returns to the mic with Jay Worthy himself & Larry June for “Gurbs & Youngs” for a smooth ass dedication to both of those types of people while “Workout” heavily samples “U Don’t Hear Me Tho” by Rodney O & Joe Cooley so Jason can talk about expressing yourself by doing your thing in the mirror reminding that we all make mistakes. “Chupa’s Groove” serves as a this funky instrumental intermission that Quik & Thundercat cooked up together in the lab closing out the album’s first half until “Two Hi (Waves)” by Quik featuring Channel Tres & Wiz Khalifa is this fun summertime jam to start the other.

“Fresh White T” featuring D. Blake & Shiro prior to the “Quik Message” interlude from DJ Drama hooks up a guitar & hi-hats boasting that there ain’t too many like them while “Since I Was Lil” featuring Bun B, Curren$y & Jay Worthy kinda gives off a g-funk vibe talking about how long they’ve been doing this shit. Dom Kennedy lands a solo cut in the form of the bass guitar-infused “Money, Cars & Guns” speaking those 3 things & Jason returns again accompanied by Barney Bones on “AYO” for a KAYTRANADA joint that’ll rock the dance floors. “DITTO” by CeeLo Green, Shiro & Gwen Bunn finds the pair rapping & singing about needing time ahead of “Soul Circus” by Ab-Soul ends on a drumless note.

What Jason & Quik gave us on Chupacabra achieves the goal that both artists & its curator Jay Worthy had set out to do from the start restoring a feeling that’s been missing from California music as a whole. Just like they did on Rosecrans about 7 years ago, you have both Compton powerhouses joining forces 1 more time for the city showcasing their musical talents including a creative chemistry that date back over 15 years & how far they’ve come since ‘08. Just when one of the greatest west coast producers of all-time was gonna hang it up, Jason helped Quik find his passion in the process.

Score: 4.5/5

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Don Toliver – “Hardstone Psycho” review

Here we have the 4th full-length LP from Houston, Texas rapper & singer/songwriter Don Toliver. Catching my attention in 2018 off his debut mixtape Donny Womack along with being featured on “Can’t Say” off his mentor Travis Scott’s 3rd album ASTROWORLD signing to Cactus Jack Records literally the very next day, his full-length debut Heaven or Hell is a bit underappreciated since it came out when the pandemic started in my opinion & the sophomore effort Life of a Don was solid yet not as good. Lovesick received mixed feedback a year & a half ago although I appreciated that it was more conceptual & had a feeling Hardstone Psycho could reach if not surpass the bar that Heaven or Hell set.

“Kryptonite” is this eclectic choice of an opener from the electric guitar instrumental from Bugz Ronin to the beat drop during the 2nd half explaining that he got what you need whereas “Tore Up” samples “Industry Sets In” by She Died Real Pretty talking about the fast life. “Brother Stone” featuring Kodak Black sees Diplo taking the psychedelic trap vibe instrumentally saying the birds in the trap gon’ stink by tomorrow prior to “Attitude” flipping “Beautiful” by WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg with tresillo-styled drill hi-hats & counter snares thanks to Cash Cobain, redeeming himself from giving us the worst J. Cole feature of all-time on “Grippy”.

Vanguard Music Group in-house producer ReidMD mixes trap, southern hip hop, pop rap, rap rock, rage & experimental hip hop on the lead single “Bandit” couldn’t have been a better choice for a track to begin the LP rollout doing legitimate damage leading into Tommy Parker shooting for a soulful vibe on “Glock” sampling “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” by Whitney Houston talking about letting the hammer off when he come around the block. “Ice Age” featuring Travis Scott with co-production from BNYX of Working on Dying has a trippier trap flare to it comparing themselves to H-Town vet & Ice Age Entertainment founder Mike Jones since these hoes know their numbers, but then the 2-parter “4×4” talks about being back for more.

“Purple Rain” featuring Future feels like it was made during the We Don’t Trust You/We Still Don’t Trust You sessions from the Metro Boomin’ beat that Honorable C.N.O.T.E. & Zaytoven both had an additional hand in to the codeine inspired lyricism that fits better in the context of Hardstone Psycho while “New Drop” talks about falling in love with 2 bitches in the cut over a dance inspired instrumental from Wheezy & Dez Wright. The stripped back “Backstreets” tells the story of a chick that he met last week in the minor street remote from a main road just before “Deep in the Water” fuses new jazz, alternative R&B & trap publicly addressing Kali Uchis’ pregnancy with their son.

Travis returns on the synth/hi-hat crossover “Inside” to start the final quarter of the album Promise Land with him & Don getting romantic with their partners while “5 to 10” up about his love for Harley motorcycles on top of a sample of “Drugs You Should Try It” off his mentor LaFlame’s 2nd & to date final mixtape Days Before Rodeo. “Last Laugh” nears the end of the LP by letting Vendr, Toom & Pilgrim give off the Internet Money Records sound since Vendr’s an in-house producer for the label talking about his success & “Hardstone National Anthem” ends the album with an ode to his new label Hardstone Records.

“Rockstar Girl” starts the deluxe run for a dedication to all the women out there living the rockstar life over synths & hi-hats while “Love is a Drug” has a bit of a psychedelic trap edge to it provided by both Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor boasting about putting his girl straight to sleep like it was melatonin. “Donny Darko” featuring Lil Uzi Vert goes full on rage so both of them can laugh their ways to the bank not giving a fuck what everyone else thinks & the final bonus track “Geeked Up” featuring Yeat gives trap metal a shot talking about being unable to sleep for that specific reason.

Even since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic began the day Heaven or Hell, I had it regarded as his best & the singles that Hardstone Psycho made it seem as if he was going to surpass that debut we got from him over 4 years ago. Lo & behold: He has come into his own artistically & given us what a lot of people including myself thought would be the crown jewel of his discography. We still get the experimentally southern trap/pop rap/alternative R&B stylings of before except he additional treads the waters of new jazz, trap soul, rage, sample drill & rap rock.

Score: 4/5

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Ty Farris – “Enigma with an Attitude” review

Detroit veteran Ty Farris returning after nearly a whole year for his 11th LP. Emerging under the name T-Flame being featuring on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade, it was at that point where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate by dropping 11 mixtapes, all 10 of his previous albums & 3 EPs. Standouts include the Room 39 duology & the No Cosign Just Cocaine series, the Machacha-produced Malice at the Palace & the Graymatter produced Sounds That Never Left My Soul. An entire summer later, Ty’s returning as the Enigma with an Attitude.

After the “Riddler Meets Jigsaw” intro, the first song “Alchemy in the Trenches” produced by Futurewave sets the tone of what it’s to come excellently from the boom bap production to Ty’s deadly lyricism whereas “Riddles from a Ruger” talking about never getting a read on him over a chipmunk soul instrumental. “Puzzle Full of Pistols” has to be another favorite of mine here from the Animoss beat to the bars about full mags resolving issues, but then the crooning boom bap cut “Mind of the Jigsaw” reveals the villain with charisma.

“The Man, The Myth, The Mystery” has a significantly darker vibe thanks to August Fanon visiting him by turning the music up loud as you can just before “The Enigma” uncannily talks about remaining mysterious. “True Identity” pushes forward the 2nd half of the album tensely moving at a different pace asking why he needs to still move packs when he making music leading into the lavish “Villain with the Smile” smiles at his enemies playing chess at the highest level.

To begin the encore of Enigma with an Attitude, the song “Who Got the Answers” returns to the boom bap explaining that it’s another day another question while “3rd Eye Never Lie” from the Wavy da Ghawd instrumental to the lyrics about seeing differently when focused stands as another personal favorite. Even the title track with its haunting Camoflauge Monk beat & flexing he’s 20x better than your favorite MC.

After a year off, T-Flame returns for a journey dating back to 7th grade for him filled with thought provoking lines and heavy play on the enigma. He does this by taking street scenarios & life situations & bend them with this theme of Enigma if you really think about the streets being mysterious & very complex as it is. Regardless of the approach for Ty being different, he still gave the world something that forced you to think in a painful way.

Score: 4/5

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$uicideboy$ – “New World Depression” review

New Orleans, Louisiana duo Ruby da Cherry & $crim a.k.a. the $uicideboy$ are back for their 4th studio LP. Together, they’ve released a plethora of projects within the last decade whether it be the Kill Your$elf saga & Eternal Grey or even I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS & the Travis Barker-produced Live Fast, Die Whenever. The boy$’ sophomore effort Long Term Effects of Sufferingfollowed & they dropped their last full-length Sing Me a Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation couple summers ago & are linking back up from a quick solo detour ringing in New World Depression.

“Lone Wolf Hysteria” produced by $crim & Dynox begins heading towards a misty Memphis rap direction instrumentally promising to trace the mark on their label G*59 Record$ when they dead & gone whereas “Mental Clarity Is a Luxury I Can’t Afford” takes the eerie trap route talking about smoking them. “The Thin Grey Line” fuses Memphis rap with boom bap & trap honoring all who serve in correctional institutions prior to “Thorns” works in a cloudier beat boasting that they’re on a whole different planet.

The desponding trap atmosphere on “Misery in Waking Hours” fits perfectly well with the theme of bitches getting them all the way fucked up while “Burgundy” reusing the exact same sample they used for the 2015 SoundCloud cut “Royal” vividly portraying the gangsta lifestyles they live. “Transgressions” returns to the boom bap obeying the Lord when he talks to them, but then “Are You Going to See the Rose in the Vase or the Dust on the Table?” blends cloudy trap production with pop rap & emo rap reachin’ out for help.

“All of My Problems Always Involve Me” depressively opens up about traveling the world & almost going crazy in 2018 just before the sample-based trap joint “The Light at the End of the Tunnel for $9.99 a Month” confesses to the fear of relapsing. The Totalitarian remix of “Drag ‘Em “N” tha River” by U.N.L.V. is a cool homage to one of the first acts Cash Money Records ever signed while “Us vs. Them” dustily holds 3s up for their set. To finish their 4th album, we get the 5th installment of the “Kill Yourself” series of tracks.

Coming back from a much needed break to focus on further establishing themselves individually & of course the entire G*59 roster since I’ve literally reviewed every single one of the 8 artists signed to the label, they embark on a unapologetic exploration of the darker sides of human experience to resonate with anyone who has ever felt out of place or battled with their own shadows. Through the navigation of themes revolving around fame along with self-destruction & the relentless search for identity amidst chaos, they give us an album on par with I No Longer Fear the Razor Guarding My Heel V.

Score: 4/5

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KAYTRANADA – “Timeless” review

KAYTRANADA is a 31 year old DJ, producer, singer/songwriter & rapper born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti albeit raised in Montréal, Québec, Canada starting as 1/2 of The Celestics alongside his younger brother Lou Phelps. For the past decade, he’s has been widely recognized as being amongst the most popular & in-demand producers in all of music working with everyone from Mobb Deep to Mach-Hommy. KAYTRA even has 2 solo efforts under his belt in the debut 99.9% through XL Recordings & the RCA Records-backed Bubba as well as the eponymous debut from KAYTRAMINÉ last summer. KAYTRADAMUS gained more exposure after opening for The Weeknd during the After Hours ‘til Dawn Tour & is capitalizing by releasing a 3rd album.

“Pressure” is an instrumental opener to the LP with synthesizers & danceable groove whereas “Spit It Out” by Rochelle Jordan sings about reflecting on what she had with a former partner of hers over a spacious beat. The Celestics team up on the tropical “Call U Up” admitting that they don’t wanna hit up their current romantic interests in fear of falling in love with them, but then the funky “Weird” by Durand Bernarr confronts his lover for acting strange around him.

We get some hip house vibes on “Dance Dance Dance Dance” for a couple minutes prior to Don Toliver poppin’ in for the atmospherically smooth “Feel a Way” confessing to being caught up in his ways & guarding one’s love. “Still” by Charlotte Day Wilson luxuriously & passionately professes the attraction that she still feels towards a man that she cries thinking of while “Video” by Ravyn Lenae brings the synths back into the fold telling her partner to show her which way he wants her to go & recording it.

“Seemingly” nears the end of Timeless’ first half sampling Don Blackmon just before “Drip Sweat” by Channel Tres turns the house music influences back up singing about a man who thinks he can come in the night telling him to jump off the ledge. “Hold On” by Dawn Richard asks if we go back to days when lights use to dance & when love wasn’t scared yet over a house beat ahead of the hypnotically entrancing “Please Babe”.

Meanwhile on “Stepped On”, we have KAYTRA going for a synth-based direction instrumentally so he himself can demonstrate his singing chops addressing something wrong with him while “More Than a Little Bit” by Tinashe has a dreamy alternative R&B flare to it talking about her heart being frozen. “Do 2 Me” by Anderson .Paak & SiR links the pair up for a charming pop rap/R&B hybrid that is until the summery “Witchy” by Childish Gambino sings his heart out about missing something for a while.

“Lover/Friend” by Rochelle Jordan was a solid deep house/R&B single head-on asking if this person really wants a relationship with her while the mellow “Wasted Words” by Thundercat starts the deluxe run encouraging to rise above it all. The song “Snap My Finger” by PinkPantheress is this danceable R&B jam getting an ex of her’s off her mind while the penultimate track “Stuntin’” by Channel Tres goes contemporary R&B feeling the best. “Out of Luck” by Mariah the Scientist ends the album futuristically singing about having no luck left.

Much has changed since Bubba nearly 5 years ago representing a shift in collaborations & his RCA sophomore effort here marks a superior return along with my new 2nd favorite full-length of his behind the debut. Primarily because Timeless has a stronger guest-list, the overall feeling of it takes inspiration from 80s new wave, he’s using newer equipment & expands his house/R&B sound to newer heights.

Score: 4/5

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Yelawolf – “War Story” review

Alabama rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer & entrepreneur Yelawolf returning for a double disc 9th LP. Coming up as a contestant on The Road to Stardom in 2005, his full-length debut album Creekwater that same year & didn’t catch the mainstream’s attention until New Year’s Day 2010 off the strength of his 4th mixtape Trunk Muzik. This caught the attention of Detroit icon Eminem, who signed Catfish Billy to his Interscope Records imprint Shady Records the following year. Yelawolf went on to release 4 albums under his contract with Slim, leaving in Spring 2019 to focus on continuing to build his own label Slumerican Records. Shooter Jennings helped him go country rock on Sometimes Y last time we heard from the Slumerican Shitizen couple years ago & is showing his artistic range altogether for War Story, a sequel to Love Story.

“Trailer in the Sky” featuring Jelly Roll on the hook begins Disc 1: Michael Wayne with a moody rap cut produced by Malay hoping to get high one day whereas “Glasses Up” kinda has a syrupy tone instrumentally talking about never stepping away from music anytime soon. “Make You Love Me” has a funkier flare to the beat this time around, singing about a romantic interest that caught his eye while “Juliana” solemnly tells the titular character who bites like a piranha that she needs to get a grip & looking to get ahead of her.

On the other hand, “Marijuana” works in some hair-raising piano chords likening his life as an artist being the war of a soldier leading into “Goodbye Mornin’” taking the dark boom bap route welcoming the evening & talking about LSD being a Hell of a drug as it is. “Cars” works in some militant drums expressing his desire for fancier whips prior to “Lookin’ Over” featuring DJ Paul going country rap to talk about being watched over when times get rough.

“Farewell” featuring Struggle Jennings goes for a triumphant trap vibe advising to tell the truth when you speak of them promising to return home with dinner on their backs ahead of the fierily passionate “Talkin’” addressing those who only listen when they’re speaking themselves. “Cookin’ Cocaine” psychedelically makes magic over holy water & “Legend” ends the Michael Wayne portion explaining how legends are made.

To start Disc 2: Trunk Muzik 4ever, the first song “New Me” has this bouncy trap vibe to it thanks to WLPWR going back to his old ways just before “Bad News” featuring Caskey menacingly cautions that going against them won’t end well. “Box Chevy VIII” featuring Bub Styles & Killer Mike is the 8th installment of Yelawolf’s well-known series of tracks showing his love for Chevrolets, but then “Another Drink” goes rap rock to talk about consuming alcohol.

“Barn Fire” embraces the trap metal sound to get in his Catfish Billy bag while “Flashlight” takes on a more haunting atmosphere in favor of turning pain into art illuminating his heart similarly to the titular object. “Bang Bang Bobby” jumps over pianos explaining that everyone has an uncle, cousin or a wild ass friend you can’t do shit with while the synth-driven “Tonight” talks about being a traveling spirit.

Meanwhile on “Everything”, we have Yelawolf returning to the boom bap boasting that he has it all while the electronic-infused “Bad Motherfucker” talks about this woman having a perfect body & knowing how to wear it. The synth-trap banger “Work” tackles his genius while the distorted country rap “Ticket” nears the end of War Story forever chasing the dream. “Put ‘Em Up” rowdily ends the LP explaining Trunk Muzik don’t quit.

Regardless of what heads think of the guy, Yelawolf surely has more than enough versatility to pull off a double album & gave us a worthy sequel to his Shady Records sophomore effort celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary next spring. The first disc Michael Wayne has to be amongst the most introspectively intimate music of his career yet & the other Trunk Muzik 4ever continues the legacy of the Trunk Muzik series that resonate with the signature style that fans have come to love.

Score: 4/5

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