Conway the Machine & Ransom – “Chaos is My Ladder 2” review

This is a brand new collaborative LP between Buffalo, New York emcee/entrepreneur Conway the Machine alongside Jersey City wordsmith Ransom. One of whom came up with his Hall ‘N Nash cohort Westside Gunn as well as Benny the Butcher as Griselda Records’ core 3 artists & the other started as 1/2 of the A-Team except he much like Benny saw renewed interest in their careers when 38 Spesh signed them to TCF Music Group for a period of time. Both of these guys have collaborated with each other previously on “Stab Out” off Conway’s 3rd album Won’t He Do It & are teaming up for a sequel to Ransom’s 5th solo album Chaos is My Ladder produced by V Don, who’s staying behind the boards on the follow-up.

“A New Day” gets the ball rollin’ by hopping over a guitar & organs bringing the chaos together for roughly 3 & a half minutes whereas “Limitless” aggressively talking about making sure everything they do is past the point of having any limitations. “Photo Bomb” works in pianos to discuss everyone over the age of 40 making party anthems calling those lil gangbangers Childish Gambinos just before the boom bap-laced “Shell Fish” wanting to know who else brings the chaos like they do.

Meanwhile on “Mid Life Crisis”, we’re treated to the first of 2 Ransom solo joints soulfully talking about not stopping the party & continuing to celebrate for him just before “Commandments” eerily declares that they can’t fuck with them since they got too much hustle. After the “Anarchy” interlude, “Born Again” brings a soulful trap flare to the table stressing out thinking of their homies who ain’t here while “Higher Killer” featuring Lloyd Banks was a murderous choice of a single. “Nefarious” by Ransom ends Chaos is My Ladder 2 basing it on Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill.

Chaos is My Ladder almost 2 years later has to be one of my favorites in Ransom’s entire discography, so the sequel here had me anticipating it as much & him linking up with Conway the Machine makes it a step above Pain Provided Profit with Jae Skeese & on par with Coup de Grâce with Rome Streetz as one of the best collab efforts from either one of them. V Don’s production remains consistent as it was on the predecessor, allowing the 2 east coast artists to elevate their chemistry.

Score: 4.5/5

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Toro y Moi – “Hole Erth” review

Chaz Bear or better known by his stage name Toro y Moi is a 37 year old singer/songwriter, producer & graphic designer from Columbia, South Carolina notable for being a pioneer of the chilllwave microgenre. His first 5 albums Causers of This, Underneath the Pine, Anything in Return, Michael & What For? all hold fond places in my heart since they were all released during the course of my adolescence. Boo Boo was ok & same with Outer Peace, but Mahal wound up being my favorite full-length of Chaz’ since What For? to the point where the singles ahead of his 9th LP had me intrigued as to what he was going to do.

“Walking in the Rain” starts by singing over a psychedelic trap instrumental about being back in this bitch like a bad teenager whereas “CD-R” kinda has this lo-fi quality to it keeping the hi-hats in the fold remembering the days of burning CD-Rs & having a Blackberry. “HOV” fuses rage & a hint of rock music talking about being a biodegradable energy angel prior to the pop rock, indie pop, cloud rap, alt-pop, pop punk & trap-flavored “Tuesday” laments music & other content can be predicable, repetitive or mundane in a world of algorithms & media consumption.

Benjamin Gibbard joins Chaz for “Hollywood” rolling alt-pop, cloud rap, emo rap & bedroom pop into 1 heading out to the titular city out in the west coast having no cell service stone rolling & role playing while “Reseda” featuring DUCKWRTH & Elijah Kessler goes for some punky undertones talking about a long day of living in the very city that Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) was founded. “Babydaddy” cavernously advises this woman he’s talking to that the father of her child could possibly be watching him from the side just before the chilled out “Madonna” featuring Don Toliver compares their partners to the pop icon of the same name.

“Undercurrent” featuring Don Toliver & Porches brings the synths back together so all 3 of them can ask if you can feel or hear an underlying influence & “Off Road” ironically might be my least favorite track here since he’s blatantly pulling from Travis Scott’s style too much. “Smoke” featuring Kenny Mason is this playful trap joint still adjusting with the time feeling all 4 seasons while “Heaven” goes bedroom pop talking about smoke & mirrors got you lookin’ at distractions hopin’ that it’s magic. “Starlink” ends with some dance undertones telling a bitch to get a grip on her life.

Hole Erth easily stands as the genre shapeshifter’s most unexpected & bold move to date diving headlong into cloud rap, alternative R&B, indie pop, alt-pop, emo rap, trap & pop punk. He even reclaims himself embracing the myriad sounds & eras that formed him while crashing new worlds together accomplishing the goal he set out of keeping up with the contemporary alternative listener building the themes around both angst & nostalgia.

Score: 3.5/5

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DJ Jewels – “UNDR DAWG” review

DJ Jewels is a 48 year old DJ, producer & rapper from Detroit, Michigan known for his work with some of the Motor City’s most notable hip hop acts from D12 to his Grindset cohort Fatt Father of the world famous Fat Killahz or even Obie Trice. He released his solo debut Another Conversation Peace a quarter of a century ago followed by Peep Game, Priceless & Take It or Leave It. My introduction to him though was the summer of 2010 when he produced the posthumous Proof mixtape Time a Tell recorded in 24 hours sometime before his murder, which has some of my favorite solo material from the mayor. The Best is Yet to Come has to be my favorite album from Jewels & was excited to hear his 6th LP following the 5 EPs The Movement, Who’z Dean Jones?, Fastlife Fame, Aniel & Pick 6.

The intro by Finale starts in the form of this 96 second horn-laced opener giving the finger to their competition mainstream or underground whereas “Document” by Guilty Simpson works in an opera sample matched with kicks & snares talking about fools betting that their music wouldn’t be hittin’ no more. “No Hook” by Big Tone & Denmark Vessey has a funkier vibe to the beat murdering it without the need of a chorus & after the “DJ Stripalude” interlude, “Is On Me” by DJ Truth has to be one of the weaker cuts & that’s because of the heavy auto-tuned vocals, the trap instrumental is fine.

“Drought Season 3” by Big Herk & the late MC Breed embraces the Bay Area-inspired take that the Detroit trap scene has become known for in recent memory boasting the fact they stay getting that shit prior to “Grind Season” by Grindset sampling “I’m Afraid the Masquerade’s Over” by David Porter talking about never making projects to skim through, as how it should be. “Hey Mr. DJ” by Kashia Adams goes R&B singing over a funky instrumental that she wants to dance leading into the trap-inflicted “Gettin’ Off” by Dean Jones & Tae-O only knowing to run shit up.

Interestingly on “Ur tha Won”, we have DJ Jewels jumping over one of his beasts to give a shot at MCing for a little over a minute & holding his own weight maintaining the trap sounds from the previous joint turning the energy up getting romantic while “Meet Mr. Wonderful” featuring Marv Won finds the 2 talking about progressively improving every single day over this jazzy soulful hybrid. “Still Love er” by Big Tone & Loe Louis starts the other half of UNDR DAWG with a fresh dedication to hip hop culture & the sequel “1st Love (Still Love er 2)” much like “Ur tha Won” is another Jewels solo joint instead it has a boom bap vibe to it.

“Pretty Girl Anthem” by DJ Truth happens to be an average pop rap/trap crossover dedicated to all the pretty women that be out here in Detroit just before “Thankful4U2” by Jill Govan goes off with another R&B joint that’s as catchy as “Hey Mr. DJ” from earlier. “Grow More” by Big Tone goes for a groovier approach instrumentally suggesting to watch what you feed your conscious mind & tell him the haters vamonos, but then “Cheat Code” is a 3rd solo cut from DJ Jewels chopping up a soul sample throwing 808s in the fold repping Grindset.

Picking up from the previous track perfectly, Grindset returns to the boom bap on “How Dat Sound?” talking about driving off on people who don’t value their hard work while “Heat tha Summer Up” happens to be the final Jewels solo cut jumping over another Detroit trap beat similarly to “Cheat Code” & “Ur tha Won” heading to the top without runner-ups. “Go Mode 2” by Grindset & Oba Rowland decently remixes to the same song off Grindset’s eponymous debut while “Live 4 Me” by Alius Pnukkl discusses needing time to get through things.

Almost all of the EPs that DJ Jewels has been putting out in the last 5 years other than Who’z Dean Jones? if you think about it have been finding him venturing out into house music before even Beyoncé & even Drake put out Renaissance or Honestly, Nevermind. As for UNDR DAWG, I love it as much as The Best is Yet to Come. His production here could be his most versatile pinging between boom bap, Detroit trap & R&B leaving most of the performances to a list of established & up-&-coming local artists aside from the 4 solo tracks.

Score: 4/5

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Paris Hilton – “Infinite Icon” review

Paris Hilton is a 43 year old media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, singer, actress & DJ from New York notable for being the granddaughter of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton. She’s had numerous reality TV shows in the last couple decades, put out a full-length debut studio album Paris through Warner Records & shortly after was instrumental in helping launch the career of Kim Kardashian. There was even a point in time where she temporarily signed to Cash Money Records during the height of YMCMB’s popularity & is returning to the music scene for a sophomore effort.

“Welcome Back” is an electropop opener singing about her return to music after nearly 2 decades whereas “I’m Free” featuring Rina Sawayama fuses dance-pop, nu-disco, contemporary R&B French house & Brazilian bass tackling the theme of doing whatever they want with their lives. “Chasin’” featuring Meghan Trainor garishly mutates dance-pop, tropical house, afrobeats, dancehall, contemporary R&B & moombahton givin’ up on their exes prior to “B.B.A. (Bad Bitch Academy)” featuring Megan Thee Stallion obnoxiously crosses over dance-pop & hip hop schooling the baddies.

Sia joins Paris for the alt-pop, synthpop & electropop duet “Fame Won’t Love You” talking about fame not caring for people as much as a parent would leading into “ADHD” calling the neurodevelopmental disorder her superpower over dense, layered & compressed production usually coupled with a distinct fuzzy & warm low-frequency synthesizer style. “Legacy” draws inspiration from dance-pop again singing about making history with her current husband Carter Reum, but then “Stay Young” is this poppy house hybrid seeking eternal youth.

“Infinity” gets back on the electropop tip to sing about Carter’s love for her being heaven sent stopping the world when he put her over everything else while “If the Earth is Spinning” featuring Sia goes synthpop dancing within the Earth spinnin’ since it’s a new beginning. “Without Love” featuring Maria Becerra nears the end of the LP with a house-pop duet not wanting to live without love & “Adored” is an electropop closer expressing the feeling of adoration.

One of the things that I personally have always appreciated about Paris was Scott Storch’s half of the production on there since The Roots’ original keyboardist & former Aftermath Entertainment in-house producer’s extraordinary talent remains undeniable. For the follow-up, I like it less than the debut. Even if dance-pop & electropop vibes from the debut remain in tact except the contemporary R&B & pop rock undertones are swapped out in favor of synthpop & house pop, Paris’ vocals still haven’t improved whatsoever in nearly 2 decades.

Score: 1/5

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LL Cool J – “The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies Of Real Creative Energy)” review

Queens, New York emcee, songwriter, actor, pioneer and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer LL Cool J or Ladies Love Cool James returning to Def Jam Recordings a decade after the independently released Authentic to have Q-Tip from one of my all-time favorite groups A Tribe Called Quest produce his 14th full-length studio album. Signing to Def Jam since Rick Rubin & Russell Simmons started it, his hardcore mid-school debut Radio fully produced by Rick & the sophomore effort B.A.D. (Bigger And Deffer) both established him as being a flagship artist for the label. Walking with a Panther was a good follow-up too since “Jingling Baby”’s one of my favorite songs of LL’s & Mama Said Knock You Out produced by Juice Crew co-founder Marley Marl is the best in his discography. 14 Shots to the Dome, Mr. Smith, Phenomenon, G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All-Time which helped coin the titular acronym, 10 & The DEFinition primarily produced by Timbaland all had their individual highlights except I didn’t enjoy them as much as the first 2 albums & Mama Said Knock You Out combined. Said standouts include “Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings”, “Loungin’”, “4, 3, 2, 1″ which because of the line “L is that a mic on your arm? Let me borrow that” ignited his beef with Canibus that lasted the last 3 years of the 20th century, “Zoom”, “Imagine That”, “Luv U Better” & “Headsprung”. Todd Smith was a step-down from The DEFinition & even fulfilled his Def Jam contract by releasing Exit 13 to mixed responses. Some consider Authentic as his weakest & I on the contrary always found myself enjoying the half that the Trackmasters produced & “Remember Me”. He alongside the late DMX both returned to Def Jam in 2019 & got with Dr. Dre who produced “Zoom” for what eventually became a journey through The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies Of Real Creative Energy) in an exclusive joint deal between Def Jam & Virgin Music.

“Spirit of Cyrus” featuring additional vocals from WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg is a synth-driven opener talking about stitching fuckers up & leaving the murder seamless whereas the title track works in a blaring boom bap instrumental flexing that he’s part of the realest crew chillin’ on a yacht listening to Pop Smoke & they got all the plugs. The lead single “Saturday Night Special” featuring Fat Joe & Rick Ross samples “Bobbing Wide” by Caravan talking about always keeping your word & paying back while “Black Code Suite” serves as this slick pro-black anthem.

The way Tip flips “Sun Touch” by Herbie Hancock on the 2nd single “Passion” was highly enjoyable talking about these muhfuckas needing a new team & “Proclivities” featuring Saweetie is actually the only love song on the entire LP hooking the synths back up asking their partners what they gonna do with it. “Post Modern” soulfully expresses LL’s desire to raise the bar, but then “30 Decembers” hops over a morbid beat to tell us his experiences of living in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Runnit Back” brings a funkier flare to the table talking about having to make moves out here if you really want it just before “Huey in the Chair” featuring Busta Rhymes continues the themes of Afrocentrism likening themselves to the iconic picture of Black Panthers founder Huey P. Newton posted up. “Basquiat Energy” pulls inspiration from funk music once again talking about keeping the aura of Jean-Michel Basquiat in the air leading into the groovy “Praise Him” featuring Nas finding the 2 giving thanks to the higher power.

Eminem who actually became God like James Todd joins Uncle L for the 4th & final single “Murdergram 2”, which is a sequel to a highlight off Mama Said Knock You Out that lives up to the hype of it’s predecessor boasting about their raw unapologetic style & credibility in the rap game whether it be LL’s nostalgic bravado or Eminem’s signature speedy flow & subtle wordplay. “The Vow” featuring Don Pablito, J-S.A.N.D. & Mad Squablz finishes our exploration of The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies Of Real Creative Energy) by showcasing 3 up-&-coming artists paying it forward to them.

I can’t call it a comeback because he’s been here for years but as I expected based on the singles, The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies Of Real Creative Energy) serves as a testament of Def Jam’s dominance in the musical landscape for 4 decades & lands a spot in my personal top 3 LL albums with Radio & Mama Said Knock You Out. He relearns how to rap again not doing anything trendy or trying to recapture anything he did in the past & works out beautifully addressing themes racial injustice, law enforcement abuses, isolation mixed with observations brought on by the pandemic, his overall legacy & musings on his place in the canon. I can’t forget to mention that Q-Tip’s production here is equivalent to Pete Rock’s on Common’s newest album The Auditorium & that much like The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies Of Real Creative Energy) further proves that hip hop culture’s veterans are still thriving as the music industry evolves with time adapting to further establish their legacies & longevities.

Score: 4.5/5

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Laila! – “Gap Year!” review

Laila! is an 18 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from New York who happens to be the daughter of Yasiin Bey formerly known as Mos Def. Even though she released her debut EP In CTRL! almost 6 months ago, I myself was introduced to her artistry only a few weeks ago when she had one of the best features on the single “Problem!” off of Cash Cobain’s latest mixtape Play Cash Cobain. Her full-length debut studio album here further caught my attention after learning that she would be self-producing the entire thing.

“Talent Show” is a stripped-back 5 minute opener drawing inspiration from SZA singing about feeling that her mind is being misused & a love with no more appeal whereas “Sink 2 Rise” spaciously melodically discusses feeling lonely as of late pointing out one has to sink first in order for them to rise. “R U Down?” works in some synths asking her man if he’s really down with her or not just before the funky “If U Don’t Know By Now” making everyone find out if they ain’t hip.

Moving on from there, “Want 2” hooks the synths back up coming clean that she made the beat for her love interest telling him she’s the type of shawty he’s looking for while “Sani (Homework Freestyle)” goes off-the top for 40 seconds flexing she’s harder than the bitches who think she’s soft. “Like That!” blends alternative R&B with cloud & pop rap wanting to love each other so badly leading into “Grand Opening” hopping over more synths cautioning her heart’s expensive to break.

“Blackberry (Date 4 Prom)” psychedelically ends the first half of Gap Year! by admitting she doesn’t know what she wants with the whole world in her hands & after the “Mama Nelly” skit, “Could Be” moodily sings to a romantic interest that even he knows how things could turn out if they were together. “If You’re Listening” harmoniously apologies to someone she never meant to hurt while “We’re So Over! gets in her breakup bag.

Meanwhile on “IDONTNEEDUANYMORE”, we have Laila! atmospherically telling her ex she’s over him at this point while “Not My Problem” fuses jerk rap & alternative R&B further elaborating why she can’t confide in him. The penultimate track “Flyer Than U” nears the conclusion of her first LP asking if she deserves better when she certainly does & “Coupé DeVille” closes up shop talking about taking her new man to the hills.

Her feature on the new Cash Cobain tape isn’t the best gateway to Laila!’s music since literally everything she did on Gap Year! proves how much of a stronger performer & songwriter she is than the sample drill pioneer himself. Her production balances alternative R&B, neo-soul, pop rap, neo-psychedelia, synth-funk, bedroom pop & jerknb exceptionally during the 44 minute course demonstrating her versatility whether it be as a singer or a rapper.

Score: 4/5

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Fred again.. – “10 Days” review

Fred again.. is a 31 year old producer, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & DJ from Balham, London, England, United Kingdom who broke out in 2021 off the debut album Actual Life for it’s amalgamation of sounds including future garage, deep house, alternative R&B, UK bass, UK funky, stutter house, spoken word & ambient house. Atlantic Records signed Fred shortly after & he’s been making himself home there ever since, gaining more attention putting out Actual Life 2 & Actual Life 3 through the major label. 23 months later, Fred’s celebrating his experiences over the last 365 days on his 4th LP.

After the “.1” intro, the first song “adore u” by Obongjayar is an afrobeats opener singing about his woman being so much better at everything than him sink lower in his chair since there’s no comparison whereas “10” featuring Jozzy & Jim Legxacy after the “.2” skit blends deep house, melodic house, alternative R&B, future garage, garage house, stutter house & lo-fi house going over a week in a foreign ends without their partners. After the “.3” skit, “fear less” by Sampha takes the spacious R&B route telling their lovers they protect them from their fears leading into “just stand there” after the “.4” skit bringing spoken word & house together.

After the “.5” skit, “places to be” by Anderson .Paak & CHIKA goes liquid drum & bass talking about having to be somewhere preferably with their significant others beside them while “glow” after the “.6” skit co-produced with 4 Tet & Skrillex cooks up a 7 & a half minute EDM banger for all the raves. “i saw you” after the “.7” skit euphorically sings about refusing to let go of a specific version of this woman just before the violin-laced “where will i be” by Emmylou Harris after the “.8” skit tells the story of an Indian boy she met in Ottawa.

After the “.9” skit, the penultimate song “peace u need again” featuring Snoh Aalegra nears the conclusion of 10 Days by whipping up a 6 & a half minute house anthem that Joy Anonymous helped laced hoping that everyone listening finds the peace they’re looking for & need in their lives again while “backseat” by The Japanese House after the “.10” skit finishes Fred’s 3rd offering with Atlantic talking about going a little crazy & needing someone to save them.

Landing production credits for the likes of Rico Nasty to Eminem & more recently ¥$ has further elevated Fred again..’s popularity including the 2 loosie singles “leavemealone” & “stayinit”. Regardless if I don’t know why they didn’t make the cut, 10 Days is an excellent way for Fred to move past the Actual Life trilogy. His production culminates in deep house, melodic house, alternative R&B, future garage, garage house, stutter house, lo-fi house, afrobeats and liquid drum & bass teaching us the most memorable moments stem from very small quiet intimate portions.

Score: 4/5

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ShittyBoyz – “3 Man Weave” review

Detroit trap trio the ShittyBoyz returning for their 4th album. Consisting of Babytron alongside Stanwill & TR Dee, they emerged off their debut mixtape 3-Peat under the mentorship of Lando Bando in the summer of 2019 taking the motor city by storm & following it up with another tape. They even have 3 full-lengths in Trifecta as well as the the sequel & of course the trilogy chapter. Babytron in particular has been increasingly popular in recent memory from being the son of former Psychopathic Records rap metal band Motown Rage frontman Mr. Sadistic to landing a XXL Freshman Class spot & more recently earning a stellar verse on “Toby” off Eminem’s latest album THE DƎATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) earlier this summer, they’re releasing 3 Man Weave a day earlier than intended.

“‘07 Bron” is this futuristic Detroit trap opener to the LP that Jakesand cooked up flexing their kick spots jumpin’ like Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James nearing the end of his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers whereas “5 Minutes of Barkin’” featuring Beannskii, Fordio, MJPaid & Prince Jefe moves forward with a full-blown Dog $hit Militia posse cut produced by Drego. “Polynesian” hooks up those dope ass woodwind talking about the bullets spreading similarly to COVID-19 & “Maroon 5” apocalyptically reps the squad they showcased a couple joints earlier.

Tommy G joins the ShittyBoyz for “Big Dawgs” pulling inspiration from the Bay Area instrumentally showing off their statuses on top while “Brand New” works in this alluring vocal sample talking about being a whole new version of themselves with the new ice around their necks. “Ed, Edd n Eddy” pays homage to one of THE greatest Cartoon Network shows of all-time calling themselves hippies & the middle finger being the peace sign prior to the bell-heavy “5 Guys” leaving them where they stand.

“Intercontinental” menacingly talks about having no time to sleep since all that’s on their minds hustling doubling their work & sending bullets like Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff, but then “Last Dragon 2” serves as a sequel to a highlight track off the trio’s debut mixtape 3-Peat. “Live from the Lab” psychedelically represents The Hip Hop Lab Records now backed by EMPIRE Distribution while the synth-Detroit trap crossover “Back 3 Back” talks about going 3-for-3.

Further continuing the 2nd half of 3 Man Weave, we have the ShittyBoyz promising that they’re gonna box on every single threat who comes to them the moment they drop the pin on them while the synth-driven “Project X” referencing the film of the same name saying life’s simply a win or lose deal. “Skippin’ Skates” maintains the Motor City’s unique trap sound having to teach themselves that nothing fair in life while the mobb-influenced “Stilly Willy” stealing bitches looking for winners.

“Suited & Booted” showcases the trio’s back-&-forth chemistry over upbeat 808 percussion to begin 3 Man Weave’s encore while the song “Therapist” further elaborates that ain’t nothing free in life & that you really just have to get it all out of the mud refusing to swap out their sticks over a Danny G beat. The penultimate track “Talkin’ Crazy” by TR Dee brings the bells back being flyer than Jeff Hardy of former 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champions & my personal favorite WWE tag team growing up The Hardy Boyz off the turnbuckle while “T.S.W.N. (That Shit Wasn’t Nothing)” featuring FMB DZ & GlockBoyz TeeJaee brings the quintet together making 20k like it ain’t shit.

Named after a track off the ShittyBoyz’ 2nd mixtape 4-Peat & the first project that I’ve ever reviewed from them, 3 Man Weave further proves that wake makes the trio successful in the Detroit trap scene a little over 5 years in the game is that they use the timeless basketball drill moving up & down the court working together & communicating as demonstrated by their unique ear for production in regards to the signature style they’ve become known for on top of the wittiness each member holds of their own amplifying it as a unit.

Score: 4/5

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Nails – “Every Bridge Burning” review

Nails is an Oxnard, California grindcore band consisting of guitarist Shelby Lermo, bassist Andrew Solis, drummer Carlos Cruz & frontman/guitarist Todd Jones. Their 2010 debut Unsilent Death has become of the greatest albums in the extreme metal/hardcore punk fusion subgenre, landing them a contract with Sunn O)))’s independently owned Southern Lord Records to put out an acclaimed sophomore effort in Abandon All Life & later signing with Nuclear Blast Records a few years after that for You’ll Never Be One of Us. Nearly a decade of radio silence, Todd & company are returning on Every Bridge Burning.

“Imposing Will” couldn’t have been a better choice for an opening track mixing grindcore & metalcore having the effect of an urgency talking about no matter how deep it cuts, it’ll never be enough whereas the 1-minute “Punishment Map” brutality sets out to making people feel the way they make Todd feel. The title track explosively talks about the knife inside & the past being where there’s hurting just before “Give Me the Painkiller” fuses metalcore, grindcore, thrash metal, speed metal & stenchcore discusses a painkiller addiction.

On “Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy”, we have Nails going for a primarily metallic hardcore sound with additional elements of grind to talk about friends turning into enemies leading into “Trapped” going full-blown grindcore feeling stuck in a living Hell. “Made Up You Mind” continues the shortened song structures & a diverse palette of intense techniques calling out someone who isn’t in control, but then the skull-smashing “Dehumanized” discusses the idea of dehumanization.

“I Can’t Turn It Off” reaches the final moments of Every Bridge Burning addressing everyone who thinks that Todd’s a terrible person refusing to apologize for doing it his way & never compromising himself or the rest of the Nails for that matter & lastly, “No More Rivers to Cross” is this adrenaline-inducing 3 minute closer clarifying that he doesn’t see things the way others do wanting be left alone, pay his bills & die in his home.

Almost 15 years of cementing themselves further as the greatest grind band that the subgenre has seen in recent memory, Nails’ comeback effort makes it seems like they never even left in the first place because it’s their 2nd classic with Nuclear Blast & their 4th consecutively gratifying LP overall. They show everyone exactly how much they’ve evolved since the last time we heard from them taking their signature style & excellently fuse it with metalcore, crust punk, sludge metal, thrash metal & speed metal.

Score: 4.5/5

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che – “Sayso Says” review

This is the full-length debut studio album from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer che. Starting as a member of the 4ersona collective under the original moniker murkio before settling on cheRomani+ & later abbreviating it. But it wasn’t until more recently where he decided to build a solo catalog for himself by putting out the debut EP 3 over a year ago & followed it up this past February in the form of X, which was supposed to be the original version of his 3rd EP Closed Captions over the summer which was a solid introduction to who he is artistically & personally. Crueger last Halloween showed more of a Chief Keef influence & is releasing Sayso Says with only less than a month left of summer.

“I Rot, I Rot” starts by hopping over an intergalactic trap instrumental from CXO talking about not needing any more new friends whereas “Saska, You Made It” turns the rage up celebrating his newfound success. “Pretend We’re Sleeping” encourages everyone to do their own shit working in some synths & hi-hats prior to “Get Naked” goes hypertrap again flexing his VIP status.

The message on “Enjoy Your Life” comes from a good place of heart maintaining the rage beats thanks to Ginseng telling his fans to enjoy their time here alive just before “Been There, Done That” has this bubbly hypertrap tone to the beat talking about doing it all. “Hex On My Chest, It’s Going Down” goes for a spaciously booming approach instrumentally advising to simply get through it & you’ll be ok leading into the energetic “Pissy Coffee” refuses to play games with anyone.

After the interlude, “It’s My Party & I’ll Die If I Want To” kicks off the other half of Sayso Says inducing more rage talking about not wanting peace anymore while “Don’t Tell No1” encourages people to come fuck with him over densely buzzing synth work with repetitive chord progressions & melodic synth leads. “Nunca Hacer Cocaina” incorporates a hint of digicore undertones speaking out against cocaine usage while “School Girl Sashimi” keeps the rage beats rolling talking about lust.

“Y.D.F.W.M.N.M.? (You Don’t Fuck With Me No More?)” whips up an ethereal trap banger calling out the people who switched up on him while the futuristic “Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things” wishes this bitch knew how he really felt. “Cut Off Your Hands” turns the bass up suggesting his girl should chop her hands off since she gives so much head & “My Favorite Color is Red” serves as a bombastic closer leaving blood everywhere.

Only a couple years in the game & I have no doubt in my mind that Sayso Says will take che to newer heights since it basically surpasses every expectation set out by his early EPs. His songwriting/performances are on par if not above Crueger’s last Halloween & I’d be reminded if I didn’t commend him for doing such an outstanding job self-producing a lot of it basing the LP’s sound primarily in the rage subgenre that he emerged out of.

Score: 4/5

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