DJ Oreeyo – “Freshman Year” review

DJ Oreeyo is a 15 year old MC/producer/DJ from Detroit, Michigan who happens to be the son of local veteran & Middle Finger Music recording artist Fatt Father previously of the world famous Fat Killahz. He eventually followed his dad’s footsteps by making music himself, properly introducing himself last summer by dropping a debut single. Now that it’s been only 14 months since then, everything makes sense for Oreeyo to returning on Friday the 13th in an effort to bring his musical introduction to the world to next level by releasing a full-length debut LP.

“Bell Work” is a drumless, stripped back opener looking back on the days when he didn’t know how to cook in the lab & having the hang of it at this point whereas “O.M.W. (On My Way)” dives into trap territory talking about getting the paycheck & a chick who wants him bad. After the spoken word “Peddling Purpose” interlude, “Good Day” gives off a warmer feeling having a positive feeling on how today’s gonna go just before “All My Life” talks about how there ain’t no slipping over a cloudy beat with some hi-hats.

Fatts shows up with his son for “TBT 1” pulls more from the Detroit trap scene stylistically showing off their Ws leading into the piano-driven “Grind” melodically talking about the hustle that never ends. “New Life” draws near the end of the album by mixing these guitar kicks on top of hi-hats needing peace & after the “Mama’s Note” skit, “Head Up” wraps up the album on the atmospheric tip showing optimism in the midst of hardships.

We’ve heard Oreeyo with his pops in the past, so it only made sense for him to cook up an entire project by himself & Freshman Year gives us a glimpse at the potential he has because there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s only gonna evolve artistically as time goes on. His production’s more rooted in the trap sound compared to the dusty boom bap Fatt Father is known for, but his songwriting isn’t too bad for his age at all & certainly shows passion in his delivery.

Score: 3.5/5

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Smiff – “Virginia Native” review

Roanoke, Virginia emcee Smiff is returning with a 3rd full-length effort. Properly introducing myself in the summer of 2018 off his debut To Whom It May Concern, he would follow this up 3 years later by releasing Flowers & is now returning to provide the listener a better look at who he is both artistically & personally as a Virginia Native even though he’s now based in our nation’s capital.

“Purgatory” starts the LP on a cloudy note talking about the city where young homies get clapped up whereas “Fallin’” works in a sample heavier sound looking to take a leap of faith. “Early Morning” takes a soulful approach instrumentally admitting that he’s coming fresh off the late night even though he gets up early regardless, but then the triumphant “Back in My Mode” hooks up another soul flip except this time they’re swapping out the kicks & snares for hi-hats getting back in his element.

To close out the first half of the album, “Hazard Pay” featuring Richie Rich shoots for a groovier vibe with the beat reminding that what goes up must come down leading into “Hell Raiser” featuring 4Lo Drilla starting the 2nd leg over a slowly morbid instrumental advising to keep a heater around you if you don’t have family that supports you. “Find My Way” says it all topically accompanied by airy production just before the cloudy” I Promise” featuring Jabb refuses to stop.

“Ode to My City” featuring Heroux nears the end of the album by paying homage to Roanoke backed by a woozy trap beat & as for the title title track that ends the album, we have Smiff on top of a boom bap instrumental so he can take pride in being a product in the titular state fittingly wrapping it all up on a sincerely heartfelt moment.

Virginia Native marks a moment of reflection for Smiff acknowledging his promise, maturity & healthy progress toward his ambitions because the growth compared to the first album is noteworthy. Tight feature list, improved production & you get a more introspective side of Smiff compared to the debut.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ken Carson – “A Great Chaos” review

Ken Carson is a 23 year old recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia breaking out in the SoundCloud scene & becoming a protege of local trailblazer Playboi Carti as one of the first artists to sign to the latter’s newly founded Opium Records. He would go on to drop a total of 5 EPs prior to his full-length debut Project X couple summers back & coming off the mature sophomore effort X over a year ago already which Anthony Fantano infamously gave a 0. However to commemorate Friday the 13th being in October this year, Ken’s unleashing his 3rd full-length LP.

“green room” is a rage-inducing highlight produced by F1LTHY of Working on Dying to start everything off calling out half of these motherfuckers out here that ain’t never seen shit whereas “jennifer’s body” talking about his bitch being a hottie interpolating “Good Riddance” by Green Day over some hi-hats & fuzzy synths. “fighting my demons” keeps it rolling with a hypertrap, cloudy 2-parter from Outtatown smokin’ on kush & looking to triumph mentally, but then “singapore” featuring Destroy Lonely keeps the rage beats in tact flexing in the titular country.

Meanwhile, “lose it” goes for a bombastic approach instrumentally confesses that he feels like he’s going to snap at any moment leading into “hardcore” talking about going gore on top of this set of booming sub-bass & hi-hats. “Me n My Kup” gives off a psychedelically vibrant atmosphere making it known he’s the only one up in here with his cup by his side just before the shrilling trap banger “it’s over” talks about his pants falling because of carrying too many racks on him.

Lone returns alongside Lil Uzi Vert for “Like This” jumping over a futuristic instrumental with some hi-hats showing y’all how lit it can get while “succubus” goes for a distorted sound courtesy of a returning F1LTHY behind the boards talking about a bitch he knows that’s going straight to Hell without a doubt in his mind. “Paranoid” featuring Destroy Lonely wipes “singapore” from F1LTHY’s rage beat to discuss the paranoia that both of them face while the glitchy “pots” talks about curving someone’s girl until he saw the way she twerk.

“overtime” continues to scathingly diss those who be frontin’ that they killed people or having swag when they never did over some rattling hi-hats while “vampire hour” takes a cloudier approach sonically dedicating this one to all the vamps that’ve been in the building. “nightcore” perfectly lives up to it’s starting off with a nocturnal trap beat clarifying they ain’t shooting shit like Julius Randle, but the 2nd half has a cavernous tone to the instrumental talking about the way she move.

If you couldn’t already tell by the title of “rockstar lifestyle”, we have Ken giving everyone a look into how he’s living these days promising to never sell his soul whatsoever over a rubbery trap beat prior to the pop rap/rage hybrid “i need u” serving to be a good choice for a single & a closer exhibiting his unrequited love for his girl on top of continuing to brag about his lifestyle for the last time.

“loading” starts the deluxe run on some plugg shit to talk about the only thing he fears of is having his heart broken while “more chaos” keeps the icy synths & hi-hats in tact continuing the chaos. “toxic” has more of a hypertrap approach to talk about an evil bitch while the rage-inducing “leather jacket” likens himself to a biker. “mewtwo” jumps over synthesizers & hi-hats comparing his girl to the titular Pokémon while “s.s. (sydney sweeney)” energetically pays tribute to the titular actress. The glitching “overseas” serves as the final bonus track talking about beatin’ muhfuckas like Creed.

I’ve maintained that Lone is the most versatile Opium signing out of the 3 acts that Carti’s taken under his wing, but A Great Chaos happens to be an improvement over X as solid as that previous album was compared to his debut for it’s maturity. The production expands on the signature hypertrap sound that he’s made himself known for & another favorite thing about it for me is the simple fact that it’s significantly more darker than the previous LP was.

Score: 3.5/5

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O.T. the Real – “Zombie” review

This is the 5th full-length LP from Philadelphia emcee O.T. the Real. Starting up in 2016 after coming home from prison & dropping his debut single “Papercuts”, his profile began to grow from there after showcasing his skills on radio stations as well as his a discography currently consisting of 4 albums accompanied by a mixtape & 7 EPs up to this point. Standouts include the Heatmakerz-produced 3rd EP The Irishman, the DJ Green Lantern-produced 3rd album Broken Glass that dropped on my 25th birthday & his previous LP the Statik Selektah produced Maxed Out. I haven’t covered his music since then but he’s dropped his debut mixtape No Matter What & a total of 3 EPs: Desperation of December, It’s Almost Over & Red Summer. All of which were hit or miss for me personally so when it was announced that O.T. was finally signing to Black Soprano Family Records/MNRK Music Group & enlisting araabMUZIK to fully prelude his debut for the Buffalo indie label Zombie, it raised my expectations significantly.

“If They Coulda, They Woulda” is a rugged 103 second boom bap opener having all the perfect samples of the dope that he be producing whereas “Turning Stones” shifts gears into trap territory dedicating this to all his homies who got it their own way. “The Crown” featuring an opening verse from Benny the Butcher & Elcamino on the hook lavishly talks about wearing the titular object on their rollies leading into the spacey trap flavored “Strong Survive” talking about only those who have strength will prosper.

Conway the Machine slides through on the jazzy “Just Different” cautioning that it ain’t the same when it’s you being the one to come & get, but then “Certain Things” featuring 38 Spesh addresses specific topics that they don’t even talk about over an eerie loop hooked up with these kicks & snares. “Ice Baby” takes a groovier route instrumentally working in some hi-hats too showing how he hits it with the ice just before “Blood Stains” featuring Rome Streetz drearily returns to the boom bap talking about having to wash the streets to remove the stains from it.

“Whole Shabang” featuring Amir Ali is an alluring trap start to the final leg of the LP comparing this music shit to the coke exchange prior to the trillwave-inducing “Anemic” featuring LIHTZ talking about how homie only had 1 life & he played with it rather than just staying with it. “JJ Reddick” picks things up comparing himself to the Orlando Magic player of the same name over a glamorous boom bap beat that is until “Fade Away” ends O.T.’s debut with B$F on a dreary note with kicks & snares talking about how you never know when death’s gonna aim your way.

As someone who started following O.T. about 2 & a half years ago when The Irishmen dropped, Zombie is his strongest project since Maxed Out & easily one of the best to come out of the Black Soprano Family camp this year as he is a more than welcoming addition to the roster. araabMUZIK’s production is noticeably more consistent than the mixtape & trilogy of EPs we’ve gotten from O.T. in the last couple years as they go down to the streets with one another to match their intensity.

Score: 4/5

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MIKE – “Burning Desire” review

This is the 5th full-length LP from Livingston, New Jersey emcee & 10k Global founder MIKE. Breaking out in 2015 off his debut mixtape Winter New York, he would continue to make a name for himself by churning out 4 more tapes as well as his previous 4 albums & 8 EPs full of amongst the finest abstract hip hop that you’ll hear within the last decade. Standouts include May God Bless Your Hustle, War in My Pen & even the collab effort with Wiki from last month Faith is a Rock entirely produced by The Alchemist. So considering the latter, I was highly looking forward to Burning Desire.

After the “Intro with Klein”, the first song “Dambe” truly sets off the album with a cloudily self-produced instrumental dreaming of taking over the city much like one of the greatest movies of all-time Scarface whereas “Zap!” works in a glossier sound so dude can show off his hypnotizing aura. “African Sex Freak Fantasy” goes into industrial turf for about 75 seconds talking about how there ain’t nothing like him talking tough on some g shit that us until “Snake Charms” hooks up a soul sample discussing the loneliness he feels after being unable to glow where he fit it.

Earl Sweatshirt’s guest appearance on “Plz Don’t Cut My Wings” is my favorite off the LP as they hop on top of a symphonic beat to pleading to not have their wings cut off at all but then after the “Real Love” interlude, “U Think Maybe?” fuses elements of soul & jazz getting on the romantic side of things conceptually. “Zombie” returns to the cloudy boom bap telling everyone that you can imitate his still even though they’ll never thank him for it, but then “Set the Mood” gives off a psychedelic edge to the beat getting the fun started.

“Billboards” has these incredible guitar licks throughout the instrumental talking about seeing how it is now that he’s made it to the charts these days hanging out with some bigger names while “‘98” dives back into jazz rap turf boasting that eyes stay dilated because of the za that he blazes. “Do You Believe?” though gives off a hazier sound declaring himself to be the outlet & that he be around while the title track gives off a mellower vibe musically looking back on those who used to say he was buggin’ & seein’ numbers now.

To start the 2nd leg album of the album, “They Don’t Stop in the Rain” gives off a warmer feeling to the beat talking about how people tried to switch up on him & betray him while “Baby Jesus” flips another soul cut calling out idle minds turning into demons after running around for a significant amount of time. “Ho-Rizin’” brings back the synths telling everyone of the kinda women he has while “Mussel Beach” featuring El Cousteau & Niontay cinematically talking about his heart broken realizing she only loved him for the paper.

“16s” has this melodic vocal loop staying yo to write verses nonstop & after the “Should Be!” interlude, the piano-driven “What U Say U Are” talking about how he needs to take a deep breath. Larry June has my 2nd favorite feature on the album with “Golden Hour” over a high-pitched flip both spitting charismatically. After the “Playtime” interlude, “Have a Ball” ends the LP in a bluesy fashion saying he doesn’t need to decide when not fighting fair.

Now for those of you who’re new to MIKE coming fresh off Faith is a Rock, then there’s no doubt that you’ll come away from Burning Desire enjoying it as much if not more than that collaborative album we just got from him a month ago. He covers some new themes in the conscious abstract fashion that he’s known for with his production refining his experimental hip hop, jazz rap & cloud rap styles by incorporating elements of hypnagogic pop & even vaporwave.

Score: 4.5/5

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BigBabyGucci – “When U Wake Up” review

This is the 3rd full-length LP from Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci. Getting his start in the summer of 2016 off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 18 more EPs as well as his last couple albums & a mixtape along the way. But coming off both his last tape Homesick & the sophomore LP Colors during the first quarter of the year, BigBabyGucci’s returning in time for Friday the 13th to drop When U Wake Up almost a month after Je’Von Evans became the youngest DPW Worlds Champion.

“Stargaze (Maniac)” is an electro hop opener à la Ye or formerly known as Kanye West asking if he’s crazy as fuck comparing his cougar to the late WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 4-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 2-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, 2-time ECW World Television Champion & AAA Mundial Parejas Campeon Eddie Guerrero whereas “No Favors” works in some pianos & hi-hats talking about being unable to do any sort of favor for anyone. “Drug Bender” goes into psychedelic trap territory to give those who like to get a little too fucked up something to vibe to, but then “Feel This Way” triumphantly admits to everyone listening that he truthfully hasn’t felt the way he does in quite a minute.

Continuing forward, “Pecan Pie” blends these horns & hi-hats looking back on the days when he used to have to rob just to get by & make it through the struggle alive leading into “Early Bird” draws from 808s & Heartbreak for an electropop ballad about talking about how he can’t trust anyone yet he never learns. “Kapitol” weaves these pianos & hi-hats for an 85 second cut repping the titular clothing brand just before the synth-laced trap “Like I’m Famous” talking about the way this chick treats him.

“Ken Doll” goes for a bassy, atmospheric approach asking this Barbie if she genuinely hates him while the wavy “Seance” talking about he how he just had to lay someone down really badly because he was snitching to the feds. “The Brand” hooks to a somber loop & hi-hats discussing the fact that people be spending all the money they have not saving any for themselves in the end at all while “Midnite” gives off a jazzier edge to the beat interestingly talking about being high late at night.

On the other hand, “Product of a Playa” gives off a rage-inducing vibe instrumentally telling what it’s like to be an artifact of a hustler while “The Rush Before the Fall” dives back into the electro hop sound talking about being unable to miss his shot if he were to take it. “Bombay” intoxicatingly describes this chick wanting a night off while “Codeine Love” is an energizing dedication to sippin’ lean in the midst of partying out with others.

“The Madness” happens to be the last before the closer nearing the end of the album hopping on top of a cloudy ass beat talking about being so high that he’s looking over at the insanity & to close out the LP, it’s only feature Sik-K joins BBG for “Graveyard” wrapping it all up on eerie dark synth hop note providing some wicked imagery appropriately since it’s Friday the 13th & Halloween’s coming up.

I’ve been hearing about dude since this past spring when Colors & I can definitely see why people have been telling me to check him out because I enjoyed When U Wake Up as an album. He’s incredibly versatile primarily basing himself in the pop rap/trap styles with an clearly obvious Kanye influence & some rage undertones with catchy songwriting/performances.

Score: 3.5/5

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Paul Wall & Termanology – “Start Finish Repeat” review

This is the 2nd collaborative LP between Paul Wall & Termanology. One hails from Houston, Texas & the other coming straight out of Boston, Massachusetts. However, both of them have been holding it down for the culture for the past 2 decades with their insane work ethics & albums like The People’s Champ or Politics as Usual. They’ve worked with one another a few times within the last couple years & are took their chemistry to new heights with Start 2 Finish, so it was enough to have me anticipate the sequel Start Finish Repeat.

“Wall Paper (No Chit Chat)” is an angelic boom bap opener produced by Statik Selektah getting on that grind time whereas “Palm Trees” featuring AZ takes a more summery route from the slick instrumental to the lyrics about being fresh out the coupe after traveling high. “It’s Magic” featuring CL Smooth goes into funkier territory doing this with no apologies whatsoever leading into “Houston BBQ” featuring Bun B returning to the boom bap thanks to Large Professor providing an anthem for you to cookout to in the 713.

Moving on from there, “Talk About It” weaves this groovy sample with kicks & snares dropping smooth braggadocio just before “Positive Vibes” featuring Tony Sunshine of the Terror Squad gives off a glossy boom bap edge to the beat getting in their positivity bags. “Do It for the Ghetto” featuring Big K.R.I.T. works in some pianos & hi-hats so all 3 of them can join forces to write a ballad dedicated to the streets, but then “Got It Made” featuring Peedi Crakk of State Property discusses the way they living over an airy instrumental from Diamond D of the Diggin’ In The Crates collective.

“Blue Bill Bandit” compared themselves to thieves when it comes take $100s over a flute-tinged boom bap beat from Buckwild while “Smoke Somethin’” featuring Sheek Louch incorporates a soul sample courtesy of JR Swiftz talking about smoking weed of course. “Leather Recliner” is a synth-laced late night cruiser to bump riding with the top down while “No Apologies” brings back the Trill O.G. Bun B for a glamorously dusty joint about how they gon’ have to bring an army to take theirs.

To start the final leg of the duo’s 2nd collaborative effort, the penultimate song “Real Life” gives off a jazzier flare musically giving y’all a look into their actual lives & the title track featuring NEMS fresh off his Scram Jones-produced major label debut Rise of the Silverback rounds it all out with Cartune Beatz keeping the jazz influences in the picture bringing some kicks & snares into the fold so all 3 emcees can make it known to everyone listening with only minutes left that they back at it.

Start 2 Finish was a cool look at the Boston & Houston emcees gelling with one another, but this sequel over here is on par & even has it’s highs that’re higher than the last collab album was a year & a half ago. The production is generally based in Term’s east coast boom bap roots, but he & Paul are both spittin’ at an exceptional caliber together & the feature list is consistent on top of it

Score: 4/5

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Guilty Simpson – “Escalation” review

This is the 7th full-length LP from one of Detroit’s greatest MCs: Guilty Simpson. Coming up as a member of the Almighty Dreadnaughtz collective & a frequent collaborator of the late J Dilla, it wasn’t until late March of 2008 where he officially branched out on a solo career by having Stones Throw Records back his incredible full-length debut Ode to the Ghetto. He has since followed it up with a handful of equally great projects including his Madlib-produced sophomore album O.J. Simpson, the Apollo Brown-produced Dice Game; the Oh No-produced Simpson Tape & more recently the Gensu Dean-produced EGO just to name a few. But coming off the Guilt EP the previous summer, we’re looking at an Escalation assisted by Staten Island producer Uncommon Nasa.

“Spillage” is a dusty synth-laced opener with Guilty talking about how it’s like the realest shit ever to him when he’s poolin’ in a chill setup whereas “Fast Talk Maturity” takes a more cavernous approach instrumentally refusing to pit stop whilst in the middle of being in a paper race. “Smoker’s Guilt” works in a vocal sample boasting that he’s in the corner with the bud lit just before “The Devil” returns to the boom bap reminding everyone that Satan’s a lie.

Meanwhile, Guillotine Crowns & Short Fuze join Guilt for “The Era That Doesn’t Know” over mind-altering beat with some kicks & snares talking about how it’s like a trip to his city with his verse planned leading into the grim “S.T.F.U. (Shut The Fuck Up)” telling everyone that revenge is a heavy load. “Easy” is a synth/boom bap crossover talking about how he makes it look simple as Hell, but then the groovy “Can’t Trust Them” featuring Shortrock discussing people that he’s unable to trust.

To start the final leg of the album, Quelle Chris has it’s best feature on the morbidly produced “Stakeouts” getting in their storytelling bag vividly painting the imagery of a stakeout in place while “Ratz” gives off an electro influence to the beat talking about snitches. The woodwind/boom bap hybrid “Rumble” flexing that the formula was perfected in a matter of seconds & “Storm’s Coming” rounds out the LP by thunderously cautioning that something bigger’s coming on the horizon.

Now whatever it is that Guilt has for us in the pipeline has me highly anticipating it & Escalation shows a significant elevation in sound for this reviewer’s hometown veteran. The production draws inspiration from Guilt’s past collaborators Jaylib, Apollo Brown, Gensu Dean, Black Milk & Katalyst with the Detroit emcee himself pulling from his late friend Dilla also & even the late Sean Price of the Boot Camp Clik.

Score: 3.5/5

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Offset – “Set It Off” review

This is the sophomore full-length solo LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Offset. Starting out as 1/3 of the Migos with Unc & Phew, he released a fantastic collab album with 21 Savage & Metro Boomin’ on Halloween 2017 called Without Warning only to make his solo debut Father of 4 the best of the 3 compared to QUAVO HUNCHO & The Last Rocket. But with Quavo showing significant improvements a couple months ago by dedicating Rocket Power, we now have Offset returning after nearly 5 years to Set It Off.

“On the River” is a minimal trap opener produced by Southside showing off his pen-game & fast-paced flows whereas “Say My Grace” featuring Travis Scott talks about making room on his plate only for them to pray before eating over dramatic instrumental from Tom Levesque of Vanguard Music Group, Vinylz & FNZ. “Worth It” featuring Don Toliver has a smoother vibe to it thanks to CHASETHEMONEY hoping they happy with their bitches making them work that is until Future pops up for “Broad Day” to reference their hometown NBA team the Atlanta Hawks in light of it’s CEO Steve Koonin becoming a TKO Group Holdings board of directors member on top of a Detroit trap inspired beat from from Nick Papz.

“Fan” is a 2-parter crossing over elements of Memphis rap & pop rap essentially giving a middle finger to pretty much everybody just before “Freaky” featuring Cardi B sees the power couple over a ratchet Tay Keith instrumental talking about how they like it. “Hop Out the Van” has one of the most awkward hooks on the album paying homage to the late Lil Keed on top of a mediocre beat looking to let off the heat, but then “Don’t You Lie” hooks up a crooning sample & hi-hats talking about how this shit ain’t bankroll.

Boi-1da gives off a cloudier feeling to “I’m On” flexing that he can meet a bitch & take her home on the same night while “Big Dawg” mixes these violins & hi-hats together cautioning that he’ll stomp you out. “Night Vision” has to be my favorite on the LP from sumptuous Metro Boomin’ instrumental to the lyrics exposing the opps when they hide while “Skyami” featuring Mango Foo has one of the weaker guest performances despite the atmospheric beat & discussing the penthouse life.

“Dissolve” shoots for a nocturnal groove that Dez Wright cooked up wanting this chick to tell him who she gon’ call when them pills dissolve while the glossy trap-tinged “Fine as Can Be” featuring Latto talks about a baddie fucking with a rich guy. Wheezy’s production on “Buss My Watch” is just absolutely beautiful with Set showing off his Maison Margiela alongside his girl while “Dope Boy” featuring Young Nudy flexes their statuses from their days in the streets over an eerie backdrop & hi-hats.

Chlöe assists the father of 5 on the pop rap/R&B duet “Princess Cut” promising to be smashed sound asleep, but Cardi returns for the aggressive “Jealousy” tackling the themes of envy. The piano/trap infused “Blame It On Set” which was the original name of the album clarifying that they can’t be too upset while the emotionally vulnerable “Upside Down” talks about how Takeoff’s murder has made him feel. “Healthy” though closes out the LP with acoustics & hi-hats praying for God to give him a sign.

“54321” not being on here is a bit disappointing on the other hand whether it be the plugg instrumental that Baby Keem & Mike Dean cook up or the reference to former 3-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, 9-time WWE Tag Team Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, HoG Tag Team Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion & The Crash Mundial Parejas Campeon Jeff Hardy.

Given how much I enjoyed Rocket Power over the summer, I went into Set It Off wondering where he would take things next since his own solo debut came from such a personal place & I enjoyed it as much as that previous album. He challenges himself to evolve more respectfully instead of resting on his laurels, the features are mostly solid & the trap production is nearly as tight as it was 4 & a half years ago.

Score: 3.5/5

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The Streets – “The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light” review

Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom rapper, singer/songwriter, musician & producer Mike Skinner a.k.a. The Streets has returned with his 6th full-length album & over a decade since his last one Computers & Blues. His debut Original Pirate Material is widely considered to be a landmark recording in the UK hip hop scene with the follow-up $1K Don’t Come for Free also receiving acclaim, but his output under the Streets moniker since has been hit or miss. So when it was announced that he was returning after putting out the below average mixtape None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive, I went into The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light a little optimistic.

“Too Much Yayo” is a boring house rap opener to start the LP asking why he never learns backed by a blobby electronic instrumental whereas “Money Isn’t Everything” works in some synthesizers & hi-hats so Mike can talk about how wealth really isn’t your whole world. “Walk of Shame” jangly tells everyone what exactly his daily commute happens to be leading into “Something to Hide” is literally recycled from the previous album that Mike had dropped a decade prior. It’s not bad, just feels lazy to put it on another record.

However, “Shake Hands with Shadows” blends UK drill with cloud rap admitting that he doesn’t see it as really anybody’s business but his own before the hip house infused “Not a Good Idea” talking about the Devil himself being on his shoulders. “Bright Sunny Day” has a feel-good vibe to the beat looking forward to another positivity-filled day ahead, but then the title track confesses to feeling reincarnated since this disaster started ripping off Doop a little bit.

“Funny Dream” wonkily opens up about a dream that he had that made him change the way he feels while the sonically terrifying “Gonna Hurt When This Is Over” pointing out that everything’s in slow motion for him personally. “Kick the Can” advises that the road to success is always under construction with a playful instrumental while the mediocre final single “Each Day Gives” mixes these strings & hi-hats reminding that every new day has no mistakes in it.

The song “Someone Else’s Tune” talks about someone Mike’s known for so long that he can rely on their memory over another hip house beat prior to the drum & bass inspired “Troubled Waters” provides a profound message to those who be in the struggle right now including Mike himself. “Good Old Daze” warmly ties up The Streets’ decade plus return talking to those who think the future is not what it used to be.

If anyone thinks the None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive tape is the worst thing that Mike’s ever done, I’m pretty sure that The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light just took over that spot. The production’s more centered around house/wonky music in contrast to the UK Garage sound that The Streets is known for, it’s really Mike’s performances on here that leave little to be desired which is a huge shame since how much I’ll always love his first 2 albums.

Score: 2/5

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