Monoxide – “The Chainsmoker II” review

Monoxide is a 50 year old MC/producer from Detroit, Michigan getting his start as 1/3 of the House of Krazees alongside The R.O.C. & Jamie Madrox. The latter of whom would join Hektic in signing to Psychopathic Records in late 1997 as Twiztid, becoming the biggest act to emerge out of the label that runs beneath the streets under the Insane Clown Posse’s wing next to Ouija Macc subsequently 2 decades later shortly after MNE & PSY severed ties. Some may not even know Twiztid sporadically wrestled during the early years of Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), later inviting multiple wrestling veterans to their annual Astronomicon pop culture convention since it’s 2018 foundation. Mono was actually the last of the demented duo to go solo, with Chainsmoker turning 20 this fall & Jamie already being established as a solo artist almost 3 decades ago. So with that in mind as well as the 10 year anniversary of Majik Ninja Entertainment’s founding & how much Monoxide has gotten better lyrically as time has gone by, it makes sense to put out a sophomore effort on Leap Day produced by MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to hold off until Welcome to Your Funeral produced by Zeuss.

After the intro, “F.A.F.O. (Fuck Around Find Out)” is an eerie trap opener to the album based on that whole entire mentality whereas “Blown Away” works in pianos as well as kicks & snares cautioning that y’all don’t want this smoke. “I See Everybody Dead” gets in his wicked shit bag reminding that no one listened to him about the issues he has & after the “You Said It” skit, “Smoke Train” featuring Blaze Ya Dead Homie & Joe Black of Alla Xul Elu unites the trio for a ghostly ballad dedicated to smoking weed.

“Not Normal” by Twiztid finds Jamie & Mono over vibraphones & hi-hats feeling the abnormalities in their chests but after the “Is That You?” skit, “Anxiety” featuring Boondox & James Garcia or the artist formerly known as Young Wicked is this badass trap metal cut that’ll definitely get the pots going. “Bad Medicine” gives off an ominous trap vibe encouraging to light a doobie & enjoy the ride since life’s too short, but then the rap rock “B.M.A. (Baddest Motherfucker Alive)” by Twiztid featuring G-Mo Skee references WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion Rikishi.

The House of Krazees get back together for the penultimate track “Night They All Died” which is actually one of my favorite songs that they’ve done with each other in recent memory reminding that the horrorcore trio are still out here over 3 decades later & “Turn the Lights Off” concludes The Chainsmoker II fusing rock with trap talking about wandering for way too long.

Jamie was my favorite of Twiztid up until Monoxide started elevating his pen game in the late 2000s & considering the amount of insane verses he’s been dropping as time goes on, I went into The Chainsmoker II thinking it would be better than the album he put out on Psychopathic almost 20 years ago & that’s exactly what we got. 7’s production is more tighter than the original Chainsmoker, you can hear Hektic’s lyrical evolution & the features from the MNE roster all maintain his level.

Score: 4.5/5

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Keagan Grimm – “Gospell” review

Keagan Grimm is a 43 year old rapper from Orlando, Florida getting his start in the underground wicked shit scene under the original moniker Grimm Gutter properly introducing himself in 2015 off the debut EP Day of Darkness followed by The Obscure in 2019 & Gravel Mouth in 2021 respectively on top of doing features for the likes of a handful of notable names within the juggalo realm from BAD MiND to both Claas & even Bukshot of The Underground Avengers respectively. As his popularity continues to grow amongst the horrorcore heads however, the sophomore effort he’s been teasing since last summer after his set at the 3rd annual Camp Xul has been sounding promising.

After the “First Communion” intro, the first song “Chuurch” begins the album with a boom bap instrumental from J Reno talking about the bad guy being up in this bitch whereas “Indigo” finds BAD MiND incorporating synthesizers & hi-hats explaining that it ain’t hard to mind your business or to lie to kick it. “Arson Welles” is this piano/cloud rap crossover looking to let off steam prior to “Warship” featuring Famz hopping over a trap beat talking about going off like powder kegs.

“Old Mister Misery” brings the keys back into the fold likening himself to that of a living shadow just before “Nasty Habits” featuring Sleep Lyrical blends the synths & hi-hats once more talking about how another red flag they should’ve seen. “Runaway” expresses Keagan’s desire to drift away accompanied by a cold trap beat, but then the unhinged “Weathered” featuring Nastie Ink & Stray talking about there being something inside of them.

The song “Sin, Repent, Repeat” stays grounded into that dark trap sound basically saying there’s no hope here while “Danse Macabre” featuring Billy Obey & S.O.N. fuses g-funk & boom bap together talking about Heaven shining a light on them because they deserve it. “Fine By Me” finishes the LP with 1 last chilling trap joint going from facing his demons to not sleeping at all.

Keagan’s been getting noticeably better as an MC over the years, so I went into Gospell convinced that it could possibly be the most crafted full-length in his discography so far. Lo & behold: That’s what happens here. J Reno & BAD MiND’s production flips between boom bap & trap, Keagan himself is on a whole new level lyrically & the guest-list tightly amasses some of the biggest names in the underground horrorcore scene.

Score: 4/5

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Renelle 893 – “Art Thief” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee Renelle 893 making his full-length studio debut. Introducing himself a year & a half earlier off the previous extended play Black Currents, he would eventually catch the attention of High Focus Records not too long afterwards & signed to the label. The historic Hove, East Sussex imprint however has decided for Renelle to end their 2022 having King Kashmere fully produce Cocoa Butter, coming Off the Grid alongside Bay29 to tell the story of an Art Thief.

“Escape Route” starts us off with a mellow boom bap instrumental & a brief verse describing a group of burglars prior to the 2nd half containing a spoken word outro whereas “Gentleman” works in some kicks, snares & pianos so he can caution that this shit isn’t a game to him by any means. “The Stairs” embraces a chipmunk soul vibe reminding those listening that none of us are perfect leading into “Quiet Time” talking about time flying whenever he’s writing songs.

We have Bay29 instrumentally pulling inspiration from lo-fi hip hop additionally blending elements of boom bap on “Spilling My Feels” & Renelle taking a confessional approach lyrically just before “Play Your Role” featuring CLBRKS finds the pair joining forces so they can advise everyone to fulfill their expected duties. The dustily spacious “Hitting L’s” talks about smoking weed in his sleep without any resistance while “Don’t Call Me” begins off the 3rd quarter looking to take no shit from anyone & hoping to have no setbacks.

The title track comes across as this potently cinematic 3 & a half minute heist film on wax including a reference to the Warner Bro.-owned Mortal Kombat franchise after “Slow Down” featuring Illiterate unites both artists jazzily talking about them being antsy as of late praying for demons to get their hands off them, Nelson Dialect saves my personal favorite guest appearance for “The Seed” suggesting they can’t be harmed if they’re already deceased & asking what’ll be left when they escape Hell.

“When the World Don’t Like You” carries over the lo-fi boom bap atmosphere from earlier talking about the difficulty of maintaining the strength needed in order to keep fighting through our struggles due to people in our corner being against seeing us win while “Epi Pen” hooks up an uncanny piano flip shrugging off those dismissing his authenticity, claiming the only reason for that being because they haven’t met him yet & getting injected with epinephrine. “Hunger Kills” somberly finishes the LP tackling the relatable feeling of being burdens to others & continuing to fuck up.

Aspiring to transcend the UK hip hop movement, Art Thief makes Renelle 893’s best attempt at achieving that goal so far with an album I’d say surpasses Off the Grid in becoming my new 2nd favorite entry of his discography displaying artistic potential I have no doubts will becoming fully realized sooner rather than later. Bay29’s jazzy boom bap production pretty much takes the role of the glue binding the deeply personal themes around love, family, addiction, loyalty, pleasure & pain with a flurry of samples & signature breaks.

Score: 3.5/5

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KiD CuDi – “INSANO 2: NITRO MEGA” review

This is the 10th full-length album from Cleveland rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, actor, fashion designer, model, director & filmmaker KiD CuDi. Blowing up in 2008 off his debut mixtape A KiD Named CuDi as well as his songwriting credits on his mentor Kanye West’s 4th album 808s & Heartbreak, his profile from there would increasingly grow off his groundbreaking debut & sophomore albums Man on the Moon: The End of the Day& Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. But following the self-produced & overlooked Indicud, CuDi would leave G.O.O.D. Music amicably to form his own Republic Records imprint Wicked Awesome Records. Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon though was mediocre at best & who could forget when CuDi attempted to go alt-rock on the critically panned Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven? Luckily he would redeem himself on his next effort Pain & Demon Slayin’in 2016 along with the self-titled album from him & Ye as the duo KIDS SEE GHOSTS couple summers later & even Man on the Moon III: The Chosen the day after my 24th birthday despite it’s blatantly heavy Travis Scott influence. Entergalactic was released to mixed reviews as was INSANO last month, but I enjoyed how both LPs took it back to his roots along with mixing old & new sounds together respectively. So I was excited to hear that INSANO 2: NITRO MEGA would continue the energy of it’s predecessor ahead of it’s deluxe version.

“HUMAN MADE” by WZRD begins with Dot da Genius sampling “1 More Hour” by Tame Impala paying homage to Nigo’s titular streetwear brand that I’m a fan of myself whereas the euphoric “DIAMONDS, LIGHTS, FAST CARS” featuring Wiz Khalifa with BNYX of Working on Dying, Earl on the Beat & Jean Baptiste behind the boards finding the pair linking up talking about how no one has swagger like they do. “WIN OR LOSE” reunites The Almighty GloryUS & they rightfully get into that mood over a Depeche Mode sample leading into “CHUNKY” singing that he feels in his heart that he’s free over a zen-like trap beat.

The electronic dance music influence on “BABE & I” is pretty cool talking about how he feels like a rockstar with his significant other, but then “WILLIS” is easily the worst song on the album as a 4 minute intermission from “2 of the smoothest motherfuckers on the planet” when The Almighty GloryUS come off awkward. “CRASH TEST CUDI” looks to get lost in the night fucking up the world sampling Crash Test Dummies prior to E*vax fusing electronic & boom bap on “EVERYBODY LIKE” featuring Pusha T as both of them drop braggadocio.

Steve Aoki’s remix of “ELECTROWAVEBABY” is cool although I prefer the original while “ANIMATE” by The Almighty GloryUS gives off a cavernous vibe instrumentally reminding that they told y’all the way they do it & significantly much better than “WILLIS” earlier. “ROUND N ROUND” featuring Lil Yachty sensually pays tribute to the ones who make them feel like they were meant to be with while “DOSE OF DOPENESS” by WZRD was originally made in 2007 & was a YouTube exclusive in 2012 up until now. Deservedly so too.

“ROCKET” was made during the sessions of WZRD’s eponymous debut from it’s overall rock sound to the lyrics singing if you’ve ever heard the story of the boy that gathered all his homies to form a strong alliance while the neo-psychedelic/trap crossover “ILL WHAT I BLEED” talks about self-assurance, resilience & staying true to one’s authentic self despite judgments from surrounding people. “ALL MY LIFE” brings the guitars back in effect singing that he’s been searching for more throughout his lifetime while “I JUST WANNA GET” unites The Almighty GloryUS with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony for an out-of-body experience.

The penultimate track “MOON MAN SHIT” hops on top of this bass-rattling trap instrumental from Honorable C.N.O.T.E. so he can get in his Moon Man bag a bit, but “SUPERBOY” finishes up INSANO 2: NITRO MEGA with BNYX & Yachty throwing it back to the Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon days & KiD CuDi singing about the woman in his life needing serious love even though she does some things too.

CuDi even said himself earlier on in the week that he felt like everyone was going to enjoy NITRO MEGA more than the original album that we got over a month ago & that seems to be the general consensus. He expands on what made INSANO the triumph that it was finally being at a happy place in his life & showcasing how far he’s come in the last 17 years altogether.

Score: 3.5/5

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Erick the Architect – “I’ve Never Been Here Before” review

Erick the Architect is a 35 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Brooklyn, New York notable for being 1/3 of the trio Flatbush ZOMBiES as well as 1/5 of the supergroup Clockwork Indigo & a member of the Beast Coast collective. He also has an EP & 3 mixtapes worth of solo material as well as a couple beat tapes, but is now the 3rd & final person at bat for a full-length solo debut from the ZOMBiES.

After the “I’m Still” intro, the first song “2-3 Zone” introduces us to the album with an uncannily psychedelic instrumental from James Blake boasting that he’s sitting on $1M while “Parkour”is a synth-trap fusion rapping about doing everything candidly. “Breaking Point” is a straight up R&B track addressing a type of love that doesn’t feel the same anymore, but then “Mandevillain” hops over this summery boom beat reminding that this ain’t luck.

“Ezekiel’s Wheel” shoots for a groovier vibe acknowledging that everyone’s keeping secrets for oilin’ & their good intentions giving through to severance until the smoothly self-produced “Jammy Jam” admits to not knowing what’s wrong with his ex-girlfriend. “Ambrosia” makes no time for bullshit as he’s never been a bozo pulling inspiration from J Dilla instrumentally just before the funky “Shook Up” featuring Joey Bada$$ refuses to deny burden of proof.

Unfortunately, “Beef Patty” featuring Boy Boy might be my least favorite track on the LP since it’s an awkward attempt at going dancehall while “Colette” makes up for it by bringing an eerie trap flare thanks to T-Minus talking about hoes still asking questions & motherfuckers acting like the feds. “Instincts” featuring Westside Boogie shows gratitude for still being here with Chris Keys going for a cloudier sound while the groovy “Neue Muse” talks about having a new person acting as a source of inspiration to him.

“Leukemia / AM” is this heartfelt 2-parter forced to find fortune in the midst of suffering many losses while “Too Much Talkin’” hops over synthesizers & hi-hats telling y’all exactly how it is whenever Erick has to fallback. “Liberate” concludes the first run of Flatbush ZOMBiES solo albums by melodically teaming with Lalah Hathaway as they address themes of romance having to slow things down.

Now that all the ZOMBiES have their own solo LPs out, I’ve Never Been Here Before could be the most risk-taking of them all. The themes of fearlessness, Black resilience, beauty in darkness & unity all come from authentic place mixed with production that’s significantly more versatile than both Gothic Luxury & Love Without Condition by ranging from hip hop to soul, dub & psychedelia.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Dump Goat II” review

Tha God Fahim releasing his 2nd full-length LP of the month & the 22nd overall in his insanely large discography. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. But dude has been on a CRAZY ass EP run in 2023 with the standouts being the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull & the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King 4, the Oh No-produced Berserko, Fahim’s last EP Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays produced by Mike Shabb, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth & more recently Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul from a few weeks ago. But as promised, Fahim’s finally unloading Dump Goat II onto Bandcamp.

“Fireball Jitsu” is a jazzy boom bap opener cooked up by DJ Tako rapping ball hard similarly to Damian Lillard whereas “Don’t Come Home” works in this incredible sample thanks to Nicholas Craven talking about being out here hustling all day by himself. “Legend Has It” hooks up these sumptuous piano chords with kicks & snares courtesy of Camoflauge Monk admitting he’s ok with criticism since he confidently has thick skin just before the groovy “Constitution Saving Throw” talks about how you barely following trends & that everything ain’t what it seems.

Moving on from there, “Tha Reflection ofSpawn” finds Craven taking the soulful boom bap route instrumentally boasting that he’s on the verge of blowing up kin to that of a hydrogen bomb leading into “S Prime One Million” hopping over these haunting organ melodies talking about his legacy surviving a lot of turmoil in the process. The vocal chops throughout “Belly of tha Beast” are pretty catchy & Fahim is on top of it passionately looking to stand on his feet, but then “Lonely Girl” is this decently dusty ass romance ballad.

“Penalty” blends some kicks & snares with a Cathedral-esque sample from Sadhugold breaking down that he learned the game through taking Ls while the self-produced “Logan’s Pain” has this cinematically climactic vibe to the beat flexing that he’s lit & asking why people be talking shit. “Stuck in My Dumpin’ Ways” brings a funkier flare making it clear he stays Dumpin’ while the cloudy/boom bap crossover “Grassroots” puts it all on his rhyme book refusing to let anything come between it.

The penultimate track “Tales of tha Forsaken” begins the last moments of the album with Camouflage Monk mixing a woodwind sample with kicks & snares reminding that it’s another day, another dollar that he makes prior to “Visions of Madness” sending off Dump Goat II by coming armed & dangerous with rhymes over a whistling boom bap instrumental that both Sadhugold & Camoflauge Monk produced together.

It should also be noted that there 9 previously released tracks on here, but the 10 new songs that the Dump Goat gives us here are pretty solid altogether although I’m still riding high from Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Sagafrom the beginning of the month. The production goes from boom bap to drumless, cloud rap & jazz rap as Dump Gawd makes it clear he’s still stuck in his ways. Still more interested in the 3 upcoming projects he has with Monk, the 3 with Craven, another one with Cookin’ Soul presumably titled Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga 2 & the self-produced one.

Score: 3.5/5

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Yeat – “2093” review

Portland rapper Yeat continuing his tradition of releasing music in February with the 4th full-length LP in his discography. Coming up in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue $trips, he would followed up with 2 mixtapes & 3 more EPs before beginning to dominate the mainstream in 2021 whether it be him dropping a total of 4 projects (2 mixtapes, an EP & a full-length debut) or cosigns from the likes of Drake & Earl Sweatshirt. He eventually signed to Geffen Records, who backed his sophomore effort albeit major label debut 2 Alivë a little over a year ago & then a deluxe EP Gëek Pack shortly after. But coming off “Rich Minion”& his 5th mixtape Lyfë couple summers ago alongside Aftërlyfe, we’re now being taken into the future on 2093.

“Psycho CEO” really gives everyone a look at what they’re getting themselves into with this industrial boom bap/trap crossover pushing up on the beat like a knife whereas “Power Trip” with co-production from Tom Levesque of Vanguard Music Group admits to possibly doing things that he never did before over some synthesizers up until the switch-up during the last minute in a half or so. “Breathe” literally samples Regular Show flexing that he made a billion bored on the jet prior to the dense “Morë” produced by Bugz Ronin & Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic confessing he loves losing control & needs a lot of shit.

The drums are completely removed on “Bought the Earth” going synthwave delving into themes of power & self-interest just before “Nothing Changë” blends these synths & hi-hats together talking about wanting too feel real referencing SpaceX founded by Tesla CEO, Neuralink founder & Twitter owner Elon Musk. “U Should Know” kinda gives off a rage inducing vibe likening himself to a fiend that likes to make money & doing things that you never should, but then the electro-industrial “Lyfestylë” featuring Lil Wayne discusses not being surprised by living this life.

“ILUV” entrancingly talks about seeing the future & coming back on top of loving it when his partner stays with him so they can rage together over a hypnotizing Rio Leyva beat while “Tell Më” talks about being born to live forever over kicks, snares & synthesizers. “Shade” continues to pull from electro-industrial thanks to Keyon Christ tackling the concepts of defiance, self-assurance & personal reflection while the distorted “Keep Pushin’” talks about defiance

Moving forward, “Riot & Set It Off” is this captivatingly dynamic 2-parter to start the 2nd half of the album refusing to conform & initiating action while “Team CEO” sonically builds itself around multiple synths from Outtatown acknowledging they might not get it at first. The title track breaks down the futuristic lifestyle he lives as the EBM influences make their way back into the fold while “Stand on It” featuring Future returns to Yeat’s hypertrap roots showing their swagger.

“Familia” reflects on wealth, power & loyalty within his inner circle over this mind-altering instrumental from BNYX of Working on Dying while the self-produced “Mr. Inbetweenit” declares that to be a new nickname for himself “because everything I said about that shit, I didn’t mean it” over synthesizers once more. “Psychocainë” hops on top of this booming trap beat while the raging “Run Thëy Mouth” tells y’all that “when you level up, you get that money like it’s Follywood”.

Continuing the encore of the LP, the penultimate track “If We Being Rëal” gives off a mysteriously dreamier atmosphere talking about taking shit to a new level on top of simultaneously feeling isolated & detached until the soothingly produced closer “1093” talking about not being from this Earth as well as being unable to stay although he wishes that he could. The first of currently 6 bonus cuts “As We Speak” featuring Drake experiments with pop rap, regalia & wave music to show off their luxurious lifestyles beginning Phase 2 & the rock/trap crossover “Never Quit” subsequently ends it by talking about refusing to walk away.

“Timë Passed” begins Phase 3 with a sequel to “Sidëwayz” tackling his continued success over a plugg instrumental that marks the return of the bells from some of his previous material also contained & the industrial/rage elements clashing on “Oh My Pockëts” are pretty fun telling y’all straight up he doesn’t & doesn’t want to know shit about those he refuses to let in his circle. “SKLUB” admits to havin’ problems with these demons & being amazed that no one has caught on except the synth-horn trap beat reminds me a bit of Pi’erre Bourne, but the 6th & so far final bonus track “H.A.B. (High As a Bitch)” ends Phase 3 in the form of a hypertrap anthem dedicated to being high as fuck.

It’s always exciting when an artist goes right when everyone expects them to go left & that’s pretty much what Yeat does throughout 2093. It’s noticeably more experimental than his previous material switching rage from a primary to secondary influence next to trap, electro-industrial, synthwave, EBM, pop rap & wave music predominantly showcasing an industrial hip hop sound painting an image of what life will be like 69 years from now.

Score: 4/5

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$crim – “Lonely Boy 2” review

New Orleans, Louisiana rapper, producer & deejay $crim of the $uicideboy$ releasing the deluxe version of his new sophomore LP Lonely Boy. Wetto here was actually the first of the boy$ to branch out on his own by dropping the solo debut A Man Rose to the Dead during the COVID-19 pandemic to mixed to negative reception including from myself. Ruby da Cherry’s been grinding with a couple of skate punk EPs since last summer & Lonely Boy was a solid introduction to $crim’s alter-ego couple weeks ago even though you can tell it was inspired by Destroy Lonely’s debut album If Looks Could Kill. And since the deluxe is said to be a different LP of its own, I was wondering where he was gonna take it from there.

“90 day wonder” starts the deluxe off with a quirky trap instrumental boasting that he just dropped money on his necklace whereas “back4revenge” talks about seeking revenge for having his heart taken out of his chest & torn apart going straight-up dirty south. “operation fishnet” weaves these pianos & hi-hats together so he can ride around town with his shirt off just before for the trap metal-infused “pete rose” co-produced by G*59 Record$ in-house producer Dynox & named after the WWE Hall of Famer boasts about jumping out of the coupe.

Meanwhile, “heartbreak shorty” gives off a hazier flare sonically talking about lighting 1 for the gang leading into “i juh wanna ball” is self-explanatory conceptually & the beat here has a bit of a Pi’erre Bourne influence to it. “i cannot promise you that, i give you my word” talks about his bitch being backed up with love over these synthesizers & hi-hats, but then “#ScrimJustWannaHaveFun” brings back the rage beats admitting that the guy wants to have some fun of his own.

“where to go when the levee breaks” confesses to drowning in percocets dabbling into trillwave a bit while “the future only stings once” is this acoustic trap hybrid talking about never understanding his father until he became a father himself. “void” is a pretty cool 2-parter flexing about pulling up in a Hellcat feeling like the man while “lick my nuts” draws from the $B’s Memphis roots instrumentally telling y’all straight forwardly to suck his balls.

Moving on from there, “icarus” talks about the possibility of turning his dog up going for a psychedelic trap sound generally while the ominous boom bap cut “dropping the cross” admits to being in his room chatting with Satan himself. “separation of crows” continues to drop braggadocio giving plugg music a shot while the moody “thought that you should know” admits to thinking about his mistake. “terminally unique” continues to give a psychedelic edge boasting he’s incurable my one of a kind & lastly the vast “find my way” ends the LP by admitting he doesn’t wanna die a certain way.

In contrast to Lonely Boy showing obvious inspiration from Lone & really the whole Opium crew in general due to their popularity at the moment, the deluxe has a way different vibe than the the solo album that we got from Wetto only a couple weeks ago. It’s pretty much a completely different body of work of its own with a good feeling to it this time around & serving more as a thank you.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jon Connor – “III: The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S.” review

Jon Connor is a 38 year old MC/producer from Flint, Michigan who’s released a dozen mixtapes & his previous 4 LPs over the course of nearly 2 decades. This includes the first 2 installments of The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. respectively which III here serves as a continuation of along with the Best in the World series paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved. However, he’s been growing his All Varsity Music imprint since & is back for his 5th album.

“The Gospel According to Ron” begins by cavernously taking y’all to church in order to balance what the serpents say to you whereas the luxurious “Dreams” encourages one not to cry their dreams away. “Connor for the Win” is this fiery tribute to the late DJ Kay Slay accompanied by this glamorous instrumental just before “Homecoming” gives off symphonic trap vibe talking about wanting to run away & never losing faith.

Stretch Money joins The People’s Rapper on “On God (The Sauce)” takes a more rugged approach confidentially giving the secret to the sauce & staying optimistic until their goals become realistic leading into the emotional trap ballad “Forever” advising to never give up all your secrets due to then taking it as a sign of weakness. “The Addiction” featuring Flawless goes for a somber trap approach acknowledging that addiction itself is a Hell of a drug, but then the cloudy “Paper Soldiers” featuring Caas Swift & Khujo talking about being soldiers when it comes to the money.

“Subtle/Rose (The Gospel According to Chyna)” starts the LP’s next chapter with a 2-parter asking this woman who she’s loyal to & even wanting to spoil her while “Double Standard” has to be a highlight for me from the key-driven Focus… beat to Keke Palmer on the hook & the subject matter admitting that she be all in the crib where he be laying. “I’m Sorry/You Deserve It” is a more vulnerable 2-parter balancing karma has feels every heartbreak that he was ever a part of while the melodic “Bulletproof/Tryna Get There” talks about not being designed for perfection.

My favorite track here “Worst Day Ever” has this crazy sample flip from Middle Finger Music co-founder & in-house producer Foul Mouth describing a day where he woke up feeling like shit & rather be sleeping again when in this particular mood but after the “This Jon Connor Interview” skit, “We Gon See Then (The Gospel According to Nana)” featuring Mr. Nuby shifts back into trap turf talking about not fucking around. “Generation Gap/Heaven Sent Evidence” is the most heartfelt 2-part song throughout the album describing memories that’ll eternally carry on while “The Greatest Show on Earth/Bid You Adieu” eerily calling out those who haven’t been to the circus lately if you don’t think this is spectacular.

“Harvey/2-Face” pushes near the end of III heartbreakingly explaining how villains are made while the song “The Dame Theory/We Won (One)” hops over these strings boasting about putting in work & that you’re either strong or weak. The penultimate track “Celebrate” comes through with this groovily commemorative ode & the appropriately titled “Last Laugh” rounds out the album using the same sample as “B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)” by Killah Priest saying that he’s gon’ let it shine.

I know this has been in the works for quite some time & anyone who’s familiar with Jon up to this point should come away from III as a solid conclusion to a few trilogies on his catalog. Each component of the album individually accumulates the magic that The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. individually brought to close out every saga out by displaying his musical roots mixed with how much he’s grown artistically in the last 19 years.

Score: 3.5/5

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Heems – “Lafandar” review | हीम्स – “लफ़ंदर” समीक्षा

Heems is a 38 year old MC from Queens, New York emerging in 2008 as 1/3 of the alternative hip hop group Das Racist. Following their disbandment in 2012, he put out a couple mixtapes Nehru Jackets & Wild Water Kingdom as well as the full-length debut album Eat Pray Thug. However coming back from a 9-year sabbatical, Hima has started up his own Mass Appeal Records imprint Veena Sounds & is joining forces with the new label’s in-house producer Lapgan on the sophomore effort.

क्वींस, न्यूयॉर्क से 38 वर्षीय एमसी हीम्स 2008 में वैकल्पिक हिप हॉप समूह दास रेसिस्ट के 1/3 के रूप में उभरे। 2012 में उनके विघटन के बाद, उन्होंने कुछ मिक्सटेप नेहरू जैकेट्स और वाइल्ड वॉटर किंगडम के साथ-साथ पूर्ण लंबाई वाला पहला एल्बम ईट प्रेयर ठग निकाला। हालाँकि, 9 साल के विश्राम से वापस आकर, हिमा ने अपना स्वयं का मास अपील रिकॉर्ड्स इंप्रेशन वीना साउंड्स शुरू किया है और द्वितीयक प्रयास में नए लेबल के इन-हाउस निर्माता लैपगन के साथ जुड़ रही हैं।

To start us off, “Stupid Dumb Illiterate” admits to being a little bit of an idiot over a Middle Eastern instrumental whereas “I’m Pretty Cool” gives off more of a psychedelic flare talking about how everyone loves him. The album’s 2nd & final single “Sri Lanka” featuring Your Old Droog speak on doing well in the titular country over these woodwinds that is until the jazzy single “Accent” featuring Saul Williams from a couple weeks prior to that gets on the conscious tip lyrically.

हमें शुरू करने के लिए, “स्टूपिड डंब अनलिट्रेट” एक मध्य पूर्वी वाद्य यंत्र के मामले में थोड़ा-सा बेवकूफ होने की बात स्वीकार करता है, जबकि “आई एम प्रिटी कूल” एक साइकेडेलिक फ्लेयर की तरह इस बारे में बात करता है कि हर कोई उससे कैसे प्यार करता है। एल्बम का दूसरा और अंतिम एकल “श्रीलंका” जिसमें योर ओल्ड ड्रूग शामिल है, इन वुडविंड्स पर टाइटैनिक देश में अच्छा प्रदर्शन करने के बारे में बात करता है, जो कि कुछ हफ़्ते पहले शाऊल विलियम्स की विशेषता वाले जैज़ी “एक्सेंट” के गीतात्मक रूप से सचेत टिप पर आने तक है।

“Going for 6” featuring Abhi the Nomad & Sonnyjim finds the trio draws inspiration from Daringer with it’s boom bap beat boasting that they keep the coke at the crib & the 6 people who’re rolling alongside them have sticks just before “Baba Ganoush” featuring Cool Calm Pete & Lee Scott has these eerily plucky sitar tones getting in their battle rap shit. “Obi Toppin’ (Darling)” featuring Kool Keith looks to hijack this soul sample & that’s exactly what both of them get done, but then “Kala Tika” shifts into drill territory talking about being the man in Long Island.

“गोइंग फ़ॉर 6” में अभि द नोमैड और सन्नी को दिखाया गया है। जिम को लगता है कि यह तिकड़ी अपने बूम बैप बीट के साथ डेरिंगर से प्रेरणा लेती है, जिसमें दावा किया गया है कि वे पालने में कोक रखते हैं और जो 6 लोग उनके साथ चल रहे हैं, उनके पास “बाबा गनौश” के ठीक पहले लाठी है। कूल कैलम पीट और ली स्कॉट की विशेषता वाले ये शानदार साहसी सितार स्वर उनके बैटल रैप में शामिल हो रहे हैं। कूल कीथ की विशेषता वाला “ओबी टॉपपिन’ (डार्लिंग)” इस आत्मा के नमूने को हाईजैक करना चाहता है और वास्तव में वे दोनों यही करते हैं, लेकिन फिर “काला टीका” लॉन्ग आइलैंड में आदमी होने के बारे में बात करते हुए ड्रिल क्षेत्र में चला जाता है।

Open Mike Eagle & Sir Michael Rocks join Heems on “Yellow Chakra” over a Bollywood flip with kicks & snares likening their infectious bars to the COVID-19 pandemic while the raw “Porches” featuring Blu & Quelle Chris sees the trio talking about going from jumping off porches to passing torches in Porsches. The sedative penultimate track “Bukayo Saka” details the wild life he lives & “Yo Momma” featuring Fatboi Sharif ties up the LP over strings projecting their fears into their projects.

ओपन माइक ईगल और सर माइकल रॉक्स बॉलीवुड फ्लिप पर “येलो चक्र” पर हीम्स के साथ जुड़ते हैं, जिसमें किक और स्नेयर उनके संक्रामक बार की तुलना सीओवीआईडी -19 महामारी से करते हैं, जबकि ब्लू और क्वेले क्रिस की विशेषता वाले कच्चे “पोर्चेस” में तीनों आगे बढ़ने के बारे में बात करते हुए दिखाई देते हैं। पोर्श में मशालों को पार करने के लिए बरामदे से कूदना। शामक अंतिम ट्रैक “बुकायो साका” में उनके द्वारा जीते गए वन्य जीवन का विवरण दिया गया है और “यो मम्मा” में फतबोई शरीफ ने एलपी को उनके प्रोजेक्टों में उनके डर को पेश करने के लिए बांध दिया है।

Nehru Jackets always stood as my favorite Hima tape & the best solo effort in his discography up to this point, but Lafandar is a comeback with some notable improvements over the previous full-length he last gave us almost a decade ago. Lapgan’s production worthily introduces to a wider audience by giving them a look at how much he’s evolved behind the boards over the course of the last 5 years incorporating various cinematic South Asian samples top to bottom that entertainingly compliment Heems’ trademark laugh-out-loud wit & a consistent tight guest list.

नेहरू जैकेट हमेशा मेरी पसंदीदा हेमा टेप और इस बिंदु तक उनकी डिस्कोग्राफी में सर्वश्रेष्ठ एकल प्रयास के रूप में खड़ा रहा है, लेकिन लफ़ंदर पिछले पूर्ण-लंबाई में कुछ उल्लेखनीय सुधारों के साथ एक वापसी है जो उन्होंने हमें लगभग एक दशक पहले दी थी। लैपगन का प्रोडक्शन बड़े पैमाने पर दर्शकों को यह दिखाकर परिचय देता है कि पिछले 5 वर्षों के दौरान वह बोर्ड के पीछे कितना विकसित हुआ है, जिसमें ऊपर से नीचे तक विभिन्न सिनेमाई दक्षिण एशियाई नमूने शामिल हैं जो मनोरंजक रूप से हीम्स के ट्रेडमार्क हंसी-मजाक की प्रशंसा करते हैं। और एक सतत तंग अतिथि सूची।

Score: 4/5

स्कोर: 4/5

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