JPEGMAFIA – “I Lay Down My Life for You” review

Baltimore, Maryland emcee, singer, producer & visionary JPEGMAFIA releasing his 5th solo album & the first in 3 years. Breaking out 2016 with the release of his full-length debut Black Ben Carson, it wouldn’t be until the man’s next 2 albums Veteran & All My Heroes are Cornballs where he would reveal himself as one of the most creative minds in hip hop today. The 8-track EP, it’s follow-up with almost all newly recorded material, LP!, the Danny Brown collab effort Scaring the Hoes & Peggy’s production credits on ¥$’ debut album Vultures earlier this year all further solidified that so much I had nothing to worry about ahead of I Lay Down My Life for You.

“I scream this in the mirror before i interact with anyone” begins with a rap rock sound saying Peggy would be a worse version of Dillon Brooks if he was a basketball player whereas “Sin Miedo” works in elements of experimental hip hop, hardcore hip hop, rap rock, industrial hip hop, deconstructed club, ghettotech & Baltimore club telling all the big booty hoes to touch the ground. “I’ll Be Right There” gives off a gospel/boom bap flare to the beat coming back outside to take the game by surprise while the experimental “it’s dark & hell’s hot” fires shots at Drake.

Vince Staples joins JPEGMAFIA for the synth-driven “New Black History” co-produced by Flume flexing they hit the lottery earning money like current Monday Night RAW superstar, former 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time AEW World Champion, inaugural ROH Hall of Fame inductee, ROH World Champion, 2-time ROH World Tag Team Champion & IWA World Champion CM Punk who later albeit unsuccessfully competed in the UFC division of the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings & dissing Drizzy again with the line “cashing out for PDF’s & rapers” just before “don’t rely on other men” blends industrial hardcore hip hop & industrial rap rap reflecting on Peggy’s unflinching authenticity & his status as a paragon within the experimental hip hop scene. “vulgar display of power” further embraces the rap rock vibes talking about bringing the pain leading into “Exmilitary” sampling “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” by Wendy Rene paying homage to Death Grips’ debut mixtape of the same name.

“JIHAD JOE” flips “It’s Your Thing” by Cold Grits thanks to Kenny Beats dissing those who think they know him while “JPEGULTRA!” featuring Denzel Curry keeps the rock samples going getting on their hardcore shit. “either on or off drugs” soulfully talks about feelin’ like an accident while the lavish boom bap hybrid “loop it & leave it” laughs off anyone who still thinks he’s a joke. “Don’t Put Anything on the Bible” featuring Buzzy Lee psychedelically tackles religion & “i recovered from this” hops over a sample of “Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun)” by Janet Jackson to break over a bitch.

After the “I.S. 231” intro, “Protect the Cross” gets the deluxe run going by fusing rap metal, hardcore hip hop, nu metal, political hip hop & experimental hip hop calling one’s political beliefs being your gang sign in 2025 taking a couple more shots at Drake while “Jordan Rules” references former 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE tag team champion & NXT Champion Sami Zayn. “Cult Status” is a sequel to “New Black History” keeping the same beat with all new lyrics dealin’ with known addicts while “Coke or Dope?” goes rap rock again talking about never being normal again.

The drumless title track featuring Buzzy Lee speaks from his heart that both of them want to find someone with a true connection in the midst of looking back on some of their past relationships & after “Boy You Should Know!” sampling “Body Party” by Ciara lights this bitch on fire, “Allah” cloudily flips “Pelle Coat” by Lil Durk showing a religious side to Peggy praying to the God of Islam while “What in the Hip Hop Hell?” returns to his usually aggressive & experimental style proclaiming Malcolm X didn’t die for this referencing WWE’s 2nd flagship program SmackDown followed by WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & WWE Tag Team Champion The Iron Sheik.

“Come & Get Me” samples “Weak Ass Bitch” by the Three 6 Mafia flexing that he’s too legit while the guitar-based “Bloodline” wants everyone to acknowledge him as if he’s former 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion & the Only Tribal Chief Roman Reigns who had the honor of inducting his wiseman in former ECW owner Paul Heyman as a WWE Hall of Famer this past spring. “Hate” by FREAKY stakes his claim as being one of the best rappers alive & Kenny Beats giving it a dark trap sound while the final bonus track “Take An” concludes with an instrumental outro.

6 & a half years since I’ve been introduced to him through his sophomore effort Veteran, Peggy has always been ahead of the curve as far as modern experimental hip hop goes & I Lay Down My Life for You reaffirms that notion serving as the 4th consecutive classic in his discography already. The themes of religion are more prominent in contrast to JPEGMAFIA’s earlier material as he pushes his experimental hardcore hip hop sound beyond industrial hip hop, rap rock, boom bap, deconstructed club, ghettotech & Baltimore club with a couple stronger guests than LP!.

Score: 4.5/5

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Skitzo – “Tre-Von” review

Kalamazoo, Michigan emcee Skitzo releasing his 8th studio LP & MonStar Entertainment debut. Introducing himself in the underground through his 2010 debut The Ghetto Democrat, he subsequently gained more exposure with The Sumerian Tablet as well as Political Avatar & Deities. The next 3 albums The Butterfly Effect, Black Wolf & Lucid Dreams further strengthened his status to the point where Flint emcee & one of the last artists Psychopathic Records put on Lyte signed Skitzo to MonStar Entertainment in the summer of 2022. I even had the pleasure of meeting him at Astronomicon 3 right before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, so I knew Tre-Von was gonna be the most important entry of his discography yet.

“F.A.F.O. (Fuck Around Find Out)” is a piano trap opener talking about those tryna test him whereas “Wild Things” featuring Frank Nitty works in an eerier atmosphere keeping the hi-hats in tact cautioning not to look far if you’re looking for bullshit. “Don’t Make Me” continues the trap vibes warning that they’ll act a fool if you keep pissin’ ‘em off, but then “Blqck Boy Lost” has to be one of the most personal moments addressing family issues.

The soulful trap vibes on “Power” are joyous & motivational looking to protect his peace leading into “Run It” featuring Majik Ninja Entertainment’s filthiest G-Mo Skee going full-blown boom bap putting the ski masks on their faces getting on their battle shit lyrically. “The God Butcher” is a rock/trap crossover paying tribute to all the homies he’s lost in the last year while the drearier “Picking Up the Pieces” discussing that you can tell when life gets messy.

“Pure Michigan” fuses soul & trap again paying homage to the state that raised him while “Pagne” brings a delicate trap flare to the table so Skitzo can talk about everyone seeing him shine. “Carousel” featuring Str8jaket keeps the same energy finding MonStar’s very first signees venting the thoughts that’ve been spinning in their heads & “Fast Lane” featuring Lil’ Polk & Lyte finishes the LP aggressively reminding that the MonStar Clique don’t play.

Coming fresh off his autobiography Water from Cactus over a year ago at this point, Skitzo’s first album in 6 years happens to be the most personal of his entire discography & the finest example of what’s to come from him through MonStar Entertainment going forward. The K-Zoo bred MC sounds rejuvenated, G-Mo alongside the rest of the MonStar roster match his energy & Mr. K.A.’s trap-heavy production has some sincerely interesting ideas.

Score: 4/5

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Juganot da Beast – “Purgatory” review

Richmond, California emcee Juganot da Beast returning almost 2 years after the sophomore effort Lovelly’s Baby Boy for his 3rd full-length studio LP. Emerging in the fall of 2019 off the debut EP P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment), he followed this up a year later with the debut album Pennsylvania Ave as well as the Love is Pain mixtape & the previously mentioned Lovelly’s Baby Boy. I had the pleasure of meeting Juganot myself at Astronomicon 7 a few months back & I was really flattered by him telling me how happy he was that we got to link up, so I decided to give Purgatory a listen.

“Guillotine” is a trunk-rattling opener explaining that they don’t understand exactly how different he is out here whereas “Hold Me Down” kinda gives me a dreary trap vibe instrumentally confessing that he’s been going through it for a while now. “U Ain’t Mobbin’” radiates a grim atmosphere dissin’ all the fakes who ain’t really ‘bout that gang life, but then “Not My Problem” featuring Swanky Rich cloudily talks about bitches not being something they should worry over.

We get some pianos & hi-hats woven together for “Where Jug At?” addressing those who been looking for him for a minute just before the standout “None of Y’all” featuring his cousin G-Mo Skee gets on the boom bap tip thanks to Eminem’s current hypeman mR. pOrTeR of prior D12 fame making it clear they ain’t fuckin’ with none of these muhfuckas out here. “Old School 50” keeps the kicks & snares together inspired by vintage 50 Cent flexing that his pedigree is as Beast as 14-time WWE world champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division’s CCO Triple H leading into the smooth “Holla at You” getting romantic topically.

“You Can Be Touched” gives off a bit of a mobb flare to the beat telling y’all he don’t give a fuck about how many bodies you’ve dropped & that it was an epic fail attempting to even kill da Beast to begin with while the guitar-driven “Letter to My Younger Self” sends a message to Juganot of the past. “O.G.” futuristically refuses to rest with his mind on the money while the violin-laced “I’m Him” produced by Nobe discusses being on a new level. “Everybody’s a Killer” fuses g-funk & horrorcore calling out the pussies who started rapping & the jazzy “Letter to Heaven” ends promising to stay to himself.

G-Mo’s been my favorite MC to come out of the Rich for over a decade now since his verses on “Lunchtime Cypher” & “Innermost Hate” and Purgatory if anything reveals itself as the strongest body of work that Juganot da Beast has ever put his heart & soul into, which is why I hope he doesn’t quit making music after this. The production ranges from trap to boom bap, g-funk, horrorcore, jazz rap, mobb music & cloud rap backing Juganot’s most passionate lyricism to date.

Score: 4/5

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Coyote – “L.Aliens” review

This is the sophomore full-length studio LP from Los Angeles, California duo Coyote. Consisting of the Morales brothers LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco, they went on to gain traction in late 2022 off their debut album Thicker than Water noted for its witty punchlines & East coast influences. However, their official follow up a year & a half later L.Aliens is quickly becoming their breakout project to the point where people were recommending that I give it a shot & I was more than willing to since the tracklist looked promising.

“Pop the Trunk” kicks the door down as hard as possible with it’s boom bap production & hardcore lyricism reminiscent to the 90s whereas “3 Lokos” featuring fucking Shaquille O’Neal works in more kicks & snares feeling reminiscent to Havoc’s production throughout Mobb Deep’s timeless sophomore effort The Infamous… talking about all 3 of them being psychos. The instrumental on “Pocho” featuring MC Magic feels like something Tyler, The Creator would’ve made during the Odd Future days & I mean that as a compliment as someone who’s been down with him since that era showing off their Mexican heritage & “Tryna Get High Foo?” featuring B-Real is a boom bap-heavy smoker’s theme.

Moving forward with “LA LA Land”, we have LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco venturing out in trap territory telling us what it was like for them going up in the City of Angels prior to “D.U.I” featuring SUCKERFREE104 hooking up bells as well as kicks & snares to talk about having too much to drink & pullin’ up on your bitch with the roof off under the influence. “Buck 50” swaps the bells out in favor of sampling asking if you really walk it like you talk it with your chest out while “Do You” puts a psychedelic spin on trap dropping flexing on everyone else in the underground.

Shady Records signee Westside Boogie coming fresh off opening for Kendrick Lamar during his Pop Out concert at the Kia Forum last night uniting the west coast since the deaths of Kobe Bryant & Nipsey Hu$$le joins Coyote for the syrupy “House Party” further exemplified by the chopped & screwed hook repping Los Angeles & Compton respectively leading into the soulful “Pushin’” featuring Doeman keeping it playa & positive. The trap-flavored “Wadadabang” featuring The Game & Lefty Gunplay gets on their gangsta shit, but then “Devil’s Contract” fuses g-funk & boom bap going horrorcore.

“Letter to God” sees the Morales brothers hopping over an apocalyptic drill beat sending a message to the Higher Power just before “Drugs Bunny” returns to the boom bap drawing inspiration from Daringer instrumentally hilariously dissing Bad Boy Entertainment founder Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy for assaulting Cassie & being a grown man acting like a bitch. “Note to Self” embraces the trap sound once more assuring that the repercussions will be worth it while “Cheers” takes the cloudier route explaining that you either in it or you ain’t.

Meanwhile, the bouncy “Splash” talks about how they’ll treat you like the rest determining your value by who you think you are elevating instead of staying down while “Blanco the Blizzard” marks a return of the Griselda boom bap vibes discussing fame & attention being the cons of popping off dressed in a whole Gucci fit. “Hunger Flow” featuring Justin Credible keeps the kicks & snares tightened getting murderous while “Quema Quema” goes full-blown Latin trap.

“Rings” enlists Shaq on the mic 1 last time nearing the conclusion of L.Aliens providing a jazzy trap fusion treating hip hop like a sport when it really ain’t no game & “Busca La Muerte” serves as a 2-minute Latin closer talking those that seek death. “I Swear to God” begins the deluxe run drumlessly guiding lost souls while the cloudy trap joint “Chingasu” shows off a more carefree attitude from the duo.

The aggressiveness of “This Ain’t What You Want” fits the horn heavy sound as they caution everyone who wants smoke with them that they really don’t while “Poplock” featuring Hoodlum experiments with the Memphis scene painting imagery of the gangsta lifestyle while “Brown Boys Rollin’” finds them rollin’ through the hood & being misunderstood as Mexican-Americans.

“Rest of Yo Life” smoothly refuses to wife up any woman who’ll give them children & no wedding rings while the boom bap “Onyx” talks trying to live & drugs ruling everything around them. “New Era Cypher” featuring Rowdy Racks continues to show some Mobb Deep inspiration from the beat to the aggressive lyricism from all 3 of them while the sample-heavy “1 More Time” looks to spin the block if they don’t get ‘em. The final bonus track “Afraid of Losing You” ends the deluxe with a shot at R&B & showing vulnerability in the process.

In comparison to Thicker than Water, the Morales brothers’ sophomore effort here takes them to a whole new level as one of the hottest up-&-coming groups in the west coast hip hop scene. The production goes from boom bap to trap, jazz rap, cloud rap, Latin music, southern hip hop, soul music & even psychedelia turning the punchlines up to 11 & invite a pretty tight list of guests along with them for the ride. It’s also cool that they show their influences & put their own spin on the styles they culminate in a melting pot.

Score: 4/5

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Ty Fontaine – “Ascension 2” review

This is the sophomore full-length LP from Maryland recording artist Ty Fontaine. Coming up in 2019 off the strength of his debut EP Waiting on Ascension, he would go on to follow this up with the full-length debut We Ain’t the Same alongside a couple of mixtapes & 3 more EPs, the previous being The Revive preluding a sequel to his Internet Money Records-backed debut mixtape Ascension & more recently Black Truck Life last spring. He signed to MNRK Music Group for his 7th EP 264 the previous winter & is back for a follow-up to the tape that got him where he is today.

“spotlight” spaciously starts Ascension 2 addressing a woman he’s addicted to but not committed to whereas “ash kash” keeps the synths in the fold treating every diamond on his body as if they’re trophies. “gotham” calls himself a Martian looking at every experience being priceless like it came from an auction over a rage-inducing beat from Devstacks leading into the trap-flavored “computer s3x” talking about having the same crew as he did when he first emerged on the scene.

Things take a cloudier turn instrumentally on “what’s life, to waste it?” explaining that his dreams are way too big just before “Adventure Time (racks on my body)” hooks the synths back up to talk about being unable to worry about shit since he loves the finer things in life. “alleviate depression” describes the jadedness of the land where everybody’s somebody over an psychedelic trap beat that Cubeatz & SADPONY co-produced, but then “parlay” has a moodier sound overall telling his partner she knows what it is.

“doin’ damage” flexes the Ben Franks in his pocket over more synthesizers & hi-hats accompanying him while the woozy “studio junkie” talks about being unable to sleep for 3 days straight since he’s been in the lab cooking nonstop. “only 1” tells this chick he’s the guy she should be spending time with a peaceful instrumental backing him while “it gets better” intoxicatingly discusses brighter days. Vendr provides “don’t give up on me” a rich backdrop pleading for his lover to stay & the heavenly “rolling” ends the LP not wanting to feel his face.

To begin the deluxe run or Act II officially, “lift your head up” encourages everyone listening to keep their guard on some euphoric trap shit while “raw dawg dippin’” mixes these horns & hi-hats together talking about thuggin’ as of late. “downer” has a peaceful trap approach generally reassuring everyone that he’s still doing his thing out here even if they gon’ try him every time while the bubbly trap joint “knee high” that FNZ & Cade laced admitting her love feels like everything is anything.

“rave girl” is a cloudy start to the other half of Ascension 2’s subsequent act talking about getting romantically involved with the titular kind of women while the trap-rock flavored “dead or alive” promises that they’ll remember him making it out. “I Never Wanna Wake Up” expresses his desire to stay in his dreams & Rio Leyva helping him stick to a cloudy trap sound while the synth-trap hybrid “i say, you say.” let’s this woman feel his energy. “Imagine 2” is a sequel to a highlight track off Ty’s debut EP Waiting on Ascension & the final bonus track “Save Me” featuring tana ends by addressing those who envy him making it.

Ascension has to be my favorite thing that Ty has ever done & frankly, the sequel here lives up to the bar that the predecessor set 3 years ago surpassing every single thing he’s done since. The production is just as fun as Internet Money’s was when they helped introduce Ty a few summers back & he manages to deliver some of his strongest performances & songwriting in quite a while. Maybe even of his entire career.

Score: 4/5

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Grafh – “God’s Timing” review

Queens, New York emcee Grafh linking back up with 38 Spesh for his 4th LP. Coming up in 2003 off his debut mixtape The Bang Out, he went on to release 7 more tapes before dropping his first full-length album Autografh only a few years later continuing that with a total of 10 mixtapes & an EP. The sophomore effort Stop Calling Art Content produced entirely by the late DJ Shay & released through Benny the Butcher’s very own MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records as well as his TCF Music Group debut Art of Words would become his most acclaimed material to date, so I didn’t expect less going into God’s Timing.

“Language” begins by jazzily calling out those who ain’t gang like they say they are whereas “Fight for Love” featuring Method Man takes the soulful boom bap route instrumentally getting in their hardcore shit lyrically. “Rock, Paper, Scissors” featuring 38 Spesh himself displays a back-&-forth chemistry between the 2 accompanied by a rugged beat just before “Roc-A-Fella Chain” featuring Freeway, Memphis Bleek & Peedi Crakk turns the jazz rap influences up paying homage to the Roc La Familia Dynasty.

Papoose joins Grafh for the grimy “Straight Shooter” reminding that you’re either legit out here or you’ve never had any losses whatsoever leading into “Take Risk” featuring Dre Island & Vado aggressively explaining that one has to take risks out where they from. “Glory” featuring Wretch 32 has possibly the weakest hook on the album despite the mature subject matter, but then “Remember Who You Are” featuring Jim Jones incorporates an organ talking about staying true.

“Coolin’” has a slicker vibe to the beat providing a calming & charming smoker’s anthem while the groovy “Poetry” touches on raunchier subject matter. “Right Now” featuring Talib Kweli returns to the boom bap not giving a fuck if the radio plays them due to their nasty styles while the rhythmically produced “Bullet Proof” featuring Don Paul & Dope Gang Porter talking about running this shit. “Give Praise” featuring Spesh again ends the LP with a dusty gospel flip talking about giving praise to God.

Even if I came away enjoying this a little less than I did Stop Calling Art Content & Art of Words, I can still say that I enjoyed a good amount of what I heard & hope that Spesh continues working with Grafh as much as possible. Only a select few of the guests miss the mark, but most of them throughout God’s Timing stick the landing & match Grafh’s level of penmanship scored by the mostly traditional boom bap production that made Spesh as big as he is of a beatsmith in the underground.

Score: 4/5

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Valid – “Peach Brandy” review

This is the 3rd full-length solo LP from Detroit emcee Valid. Introducing himself properly in 2015 with Reach High, he would follow it up in 2019 getting more personal on the sophomore effort Mihajlo which I personally would recommend to anyone as the best place to start for anyone who wants to get up on Valid’s music & eventually the Plum Brandy EP only 9 months later. He would go on to make an entrance theme for the current WWE NXT Champion Ethan Page during his AEW run, later forming Bill & Isiah with Stretch Money over a year ago & putting out an acclaimed eponymous debut. Only 5 months since his debut mixtape The Bronko Tape, we’re now being treated to Peach Brandy as the main course.

“Peach Killer” is a classy boom bap opener to the album talking about letting the cosmos control his destiny whereas “There He Is” works in pianos along with more kicks & snares referring to himself as the motherfucker that those doubted most. “1 of a Kind” kinda has a jazzier boom bap quality to the beat so he can talk about the life he living ain’t like anything else just before “Places” hooks up a solemn sample setting out to reinvent in the renaissance city.

Bill & Isiah link back up for “9 to 5” hopping over a vocal flip to brag that it be looking like they selling dope when their music careers are taking off in actuality leading into the celebratory “May 6” talking about how his circle wasn’t even supposed to make it & engaging in a gangsta ass tradition. “Never Question” goes into pop rap territory tackling themes of romance, but then “The One Who Decides” brings some strings in the picture & some of his most captivating storytelling yet.

“Plush” featuring Boog Brown gives off a more playful tone aesthetically encouraging everyone to put ‘em up high while “Sci-Non-Fi” turns the jazz influences back up confessing that he feels like he’s in a weird place making it look like he in space. “Cigareta” featuring Jon Connor & Philmore Greene returns to the boom bap reminiscing as they smoke up remembering those who can’t be here while “Stara Škola” featuring BARS, Frenkie, Ghet, LD Pistolero, Random & Struka comes through with a Serbian hip hop posse cut.

Starting the encore of Peach Brandy, the song “Nirdala” groovily talks about everyone chasing cash & success in the the midst of the never-ending battle between good & evil while the penultimate track “This Day” blends vibraphones along with kicks & snares trying to stay optimistic even when he isn’t in the best place mentally. “Graycious” lastly ends the LP with a bit of a west coast homage from the funky instrumental to the Zapp-inspired background vocals feeling gracious.

In case you didn’t know, everything that made Plum Brandy the heartfelt EP in Valid’s discography showcasing his Serbian roots with a heavy amount of ex-Yugoslavian samples makes it’s way onto Peach Brandy & even taking it a step further than the predecessor a month before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The concept of his Serbian heritage is being re-explored in a bigger, full-length capacity allowing himself & the producers to do more with the cards that’re dealt in comparison to The Bronko Tape’s raw homage to Bronko Lubich.

Score: 3.5/5

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Big B – “Wellness Check” review

Everyone’s favorite Las Vegas, Nevada hooligan Big B is back for his 8th LP. Starting out as the frontman for 187, he would go on to join OPM following the demise of 187 & become a household name for the infamous California powerhouse Suburban Noize Records just a couple years later. His first 3 solo albums High Class White Trash, White Trash Renegade & More to Hate would become some of my favorite releases that the label has ever put out. Last we heard from B was during the pandemic when he dropped his comeback album Welcome to the Club & since reuniting with Michael Bradford on Members Only roughly 16 months ago, it’s only right for a Wellness Check.

After the titular intro, the first song “Time” is a fun boom bap opener to the Vegas Hooligan’s first full-length in 4 talking about life moving as fast as it is whereas the lead single “Sidecar” featuring G. Love, Peachole & Special Sauce goes reggae-pop embracing the boundless journey of life & extends the invitation to like-minded souls to partake in joy & fulfillment. “Loser” takes the pop rap route aesthetically explaining that someone’s gotta lose in order for someone else to win prior to the stripped-back “Further” talking about being unsure as to where he’s going & that it can’t be like last time.

“Broke AF” featuring the Common Kings dabbles into pop punk territory explaining that it really isn’t that much of a crime to enjoy yourself every once & a while leading into the electronic dance/hip hop hybrid “Fuck You” revolves itself around a breakup being done with a woman who wasn’t by his side giving him nothing but broken promises. “Slow Down” featuring The Aggrolites & The Debonaires assures over horns that they ain’t got time for nobody’s bullshit whatsoever just before the rap rock joint “F.2.T.F. (Foot 2 the Floor)” talks about doing the best with the cards he was dealt.

Peachole returns for the upbeat track inspired “Shinjuku Hotel” providing a dedication for his people rather than his peers while the summery “Drugs & Alcohol” reminds y’all exactly how he feels about both of those things. “2 Choices” featuring Merkules was a fun, party-starting choice of a 2nd single explaining that there’s no time for excuses since the bullshit will be useless in the end while “Fallin’” dabbling with trap acknowledging that he’s said he’ll never change, but he just might have to.

“Sparks” nears the end of the Wellness Check mixing hip hop & reggae explaining that everything will be ok & not wanting to see this person run away tonight sticking by their sides putting in as much effort to making it right as possible while the final single “Pretend” featuring Killer Mike embraces rap rock once again telling people to live their lives as much as they can due to the fact that some really don’t know what happens when we’re not here anymore. “Simple Song” concludes B’s first album in 4 years throwing it back to the Welcome to the Club having a duct-taped broken heart & a 5th of whiskey when it falls apart.

Surrounded by organic inspiration, Big B lets the world who knows him as a recording artist that he’s doing great & for those who wrote him off, he’s here again to say a few things & celebrate where he is now. Not only does it serve as a multi-dimensional narrative about B’s current station in life intentionally crafting a hodgepodge of musical styles dipping into realms of hip hop, punk, acoustic songwriting, ska & harkens to a signature SoCal sound that simultaneously evokes a sense of ease, nostalgia & forward motion.

Score: 3.5/5

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DJ Mustard – “Faith of a Mustard Seed” review

DJ Mustard is a 34 year old producer, DJ, songwriter, record executive & rapper from Los Angeles, California known for being a pioneer of the ratchet music scene. He sure enough embarked on a solo career almost a decade ago by releasing 10 Summers through Roc Nation Records & Republic Records, both of whom would also put out the sophomore effort Cold Summer. Mustard later departed following the mixed reception that his first couple LPs to form his own label 10 Summers Records & enlisted Interscope Records to distribute the more well-received Perfect 10 & considering that he produced one of the biggest singles of the year “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar a few months ago, it raised the anticipation for his 4th album higher.

“Show Me the Way” by Kirk Franklin is a gospel opener advising not letting anything take your faith in God from you whereas “Up Now” by the BlueBucksClan, Lil Yachty & 42 Dugg works in synths & hi-hats to talk about making it out of the trenches. “Pressured Up” by ScHoolboy Q & Vince Staples with co-production from Terrace Martin gives off a bit of a futuristic mobb vibe for those looking to let loose during ghetto parties, but then “One of Them Ones” by Quavo & Rob49 hops over a violin-laced trap beat so both of them get boastful.

Meanwhile on “Parking Lot”, we have Travis Scott on some soulful trap shit talking about being as hard as Scott La Rock leading into “A Song for Mom” by Ty$ following the “7 to 7” skit for an R&B jam dedicated to all the mothers out in the world. “Worth a Heartbreak” by A Boogie wit da Hoodie & Blxst returns for a symphonic trap flare to the beat discussing that they both deserve nothing less than real just before the lavish “Truth Is” by Roddy Ricch rides through the night with his high beams ons.

“Mines” by Future melodically refuses to share his partner with anyone else taking her on vacation while “1 Bad Decision” by Ella Mai & Roddy Ricch crosses over pop rap & R&B firing rounds to the point where 911 has to be called. “Yak’s Prayer” by Kodak Black is this soulful/trap hybrid talking about the streets scarring people while the laidback “Ghetto” by Lil Durk & Young Thug talks about the being hood nearly every day of the week. “Pray for Me” ends Faith of a Mustard Seed with DJ Mustard himself giving a jab at rapping for 10 whole minutes.

15 years in the game & numerous hits under his belt spanning present day, what DJ Mustard has given us in Faith of a Mustard Seed has become an inspiring & deeply personal project that encapsulates his growth & dedication since. His sound being the ratchet scene has certainly expanded in that span of time from pop rap to R&B, gospel music, soul music, trap, orchestral music & mobb music allowing a consistent guest list to handle the performances up until the closer.

Score: 3.5/5

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Raz Fresco – “The Eternal Now” review

Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee/producer Raz Fresco enlisting west coast veteran DJ Muggs for what I’m pretty sure is his 16th proper full-length solo LP. I’ve been familiar with the guy since my high school years at this point whether it be some of his features or his own extensive discography including the Magneto Was Right mixtape series, the Futurewave-produced Gorgeous Polo Sportsmen album, the Nicholas Craven-produced Boulangerie album, the Cake beat tapes, the Gia…À La Carte collab EP with Estee Nack or more recently the Cookin’ Soul produced Bakin’ Soul & the Daniel Son collab effort Northside. Further continuing the acclaim of the latter 3 received, The Eternal Now seemed like there was a high chance it could surpass them since Muggs been on a roll producing projects for other artists in recent memory & helping bring the best out of them.

The title track sets the tone of what’s to come from the jazzy instrumental to the lyrics letting everyone know exactly what they’re living in at this very moment whereas luxuriously “Memory Lane” talks about people spending too much time reflecting & being nostalgic, which I wholeheartedly agree with. “Look What You Made Me Do” goes full-blown boom bap examining the darkest side of Raz’ mind prior to the orchestral “Smoke & Mirrors” talking about the game being as cold as it is.

“Blood Money” strips the drums completely feeling alive whenever the sun touches him just before the “Ghost of Garvey” featuring Gritfall & The 6th Letter finds the trio over a crooning sample flexing that they brought back Marcus Garvey’s spirit. “King Tubby” makes a turn into drumless territory once again feeling like he wants to cry for the people sometimes due to the cruelness of the world leading into “Blow Up the Spot” returning to the boom bap talking about hitting the lottery if he had a nickel for every time he called out a poser for trying to be official.

Starting the 2nd leg, “Fake Beef” ruggedly warns that y’all can catch the smoker similarly to Terrell Owens & keeping the gates of Hell open reserving Heaven for the best while the dustily jazzy hybrid “World Peace” talks about the game plan trying to be taking land with their names on the building. “Pan’s Labyrinth” strips the drums once more discussing a trapped king trapped in faun’s elaborate & confusing structure while “Big Soul Assassins” returns to the boom bap representing the titular Soul Assassins collective.

“Staircase Stories” nears the end of The Eternal Now if you couldn’t tell by the title unearths his own tales from the staircases over a raw beat with an acoustic-sounding drum pattern & I found the rock sampling throughout “50 Bop” to be quite interesting allowing Raz to spaz the fuck out on the mic to the point where I can say it’s my favorite track here. “Spooky” closes the LP hopping on top of a drumless jazz sample calling himself Professor X with his mind.

Raz has already been having a Hell of a 2024 from Bakin’ Soul to Northside & surely enough, The Eternal Now reaches past Bakin’ Soul as the best full-length album in his entire discography yet. DJ Muggs’ production ranges from boom bap to drumless, jazz rap & rap rock giving a glimpse of the Toronto emcee keeping the same energy lyrically that he’s kept since the last couple projects of his that I previously covered.

Score: 4.5/5

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