Jae Skeese – “Testament of the Times” review

Buffalo emcee Jae Skeese joining forces with Superior for his 4th full-length studio LP. Getting his start off the strength of his his debut mixtape W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks) in the fall of 2010, it wasn’t until a decade later where he & 7xvethegeniusgained wide exposure as the very first signees to Conway the Machine’s very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint Drumwork Music Group. The Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd EP Authenticity Check & the previous album Abolished Uncertainties both elevated Skeese’s popularity in the last couple years, so Testament of the Times can only amplify it.

To get us started, “Union 2’s” hops over a guitar-laced boom bap instrumental talking about being lowkey dangerous when that’s already been proven with the last 2 projects of his that I named near the end of the previous paragraph in my opinion whereas “In My Hands” has a jazzier approach aiming to stay focused. “Cement 4’s” works in some organs asking what y’all think he did this for since he been on one for life leading into the flute-tinged “2Cents” referring to real game as priceless.

“Cantonese Characters” featuring Rome Streetz & Ty Farris references current AEW manager, WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts prior to the luxurious keyboard embellishments on “Preguntas” talking about staying hungry & blessed. “Ksubi Tags” isn’t really much of an interlude rather it’s Jae over a sample-heavy boom bap beat feeling like a threat waking up, but then “Risk & Reward” draws inspiration from rap rock talking about having to work to get as nice as he is now.

O.T. the Real comes into the picture on “Sign of the Cross” somberly advises to let the problems accumulate while the delicately-produced “Broken Mirrors” talks about being in his head overthinking at times. “Mothers & Gods” clarifies that he’s never been anyone’s favorite except for his mom alongside the higher power over plainly piano chords until “Skycraper” concludes the LP on a drumless note continuing to put in the time & labor building from ground level.

The introspective story that Abolished Uncertainties told almost a year ago this month was a personal way for Jae to introduce himself to a wider audience, but I think I might prefer Testament of the Times more. Superior continues to stand as amongst the most interesting German producers in hip hop, the guest-list is tighter & Skeese here sets out to encourage everyone in taking themselves to new heights.

Score: 4.5/5

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Raz Fresco – “Bakin’ Soul” review

If I’m not mistaken, I believe this is the 15th proper full-length LP from Toronto emcee/producer Raz Fresco. Someone who I’ve been familiar with since high school 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 or more recently the Gia…À La Carte collab EP with Estee Nack from last summer. But with Cookin’ Soul coming off producing the acclaimed Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga for Tha God Fahim last month, Bakin’ Soul here seemed more than promising to me going into it.

“360°” starts with a lo-fi boom bap instrumental refusing to let the mean city take your smile whereas “The Pure” featuring Dano & Lil Supa takes a funkier approach talking about how all that frontin’ will leave you fucked up in the end. The drumlessly jazzy “Receipts” goes after the loot prior to Estee Nack & Lord Apex joining Raz on “Kodak Moment” bringing back the kicks & snares referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin alongside WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion Rikishi.

Moving forward, “Snakes & Ladders” goes for a symphonic approach confessing he learned life for the first time after playing the titular game that is until “Keep on Pushing” featuring The Musalini returns to the boom bap making it all money when they spit. Life Lessons” gets introspective over a crooning sample with kicks & snares while “Regrets” featuring Tha God Fahim teaches the youth not to make the same mistakes that they did. “Marvelous Fabrics” reminds that the hood’s still starving even after giving favor to Ukraine, but then “No Cap” featuring Gritfall closes up shop with a cloudy beat calling out labels for paying ads selling backwards lifestyles.

I personally was introduced to Raz a little after I started my freshman year of high school hearing his feature on “Why Bother” off of Ace Hashimoto’s 5th mixtape All Day DeShay: AM since it’s no secret that I was an Odd Future kid during my adolescence & Bakin’ Soul most definitely stands as some of his best work primarily because of how organic the chemistry he has with Big Size feels.

Score: 4/5

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Tony Shhnow – “Out the Woods” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tony Shhnow is back with his 7th full-length LP. Being introduced to his music after my younger brother J$zpiech showed me his 4th mixtape Black Billionaires Club & the song “Vet” off the full-length debut Da World’s Ours 3, he then continued to turn heads with his 8th mixtape Reflexions to critical acclaim last summer & I honestly wish I covered it considering that some of his best songs are on there like “Finessin’” or “Forgive Don’t Forget”. Love Streak showed a more sensual side to him after returning to his plugg roots on the BeatPluggz produced Plug Motivation & is aptly coming Out the Woods only hours since former 7-time IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン & NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオンオカダ・カズチカ made his official AEW debut in the Shhnowman’s city.

After the “Intro to the Woods”, the first song “Cool Minute” is a glamorously mellow opener talking about being in the kitchen whereas “Don’t Slip” works in pianos & hi-hats going to a new level with this shit. “What We Doin’” gives off a classier approach, instrumentally asking his girl what the deal is now that they got a hotel room for the night, but then “99 Overall” featuring 1TakeJay talks about putting it on over crooning vocals & horns. 1TakeJay’s performances though don’t quite hold up to Tony’s.

After the “Adrenaline” skit, “Salute (Yes)” continues the trap beats with interesting samples boasting the way he’s living these days leading into “Animal Crossing” with my personal favorite feature of the 3 on the album 3AG Pilot bringing the rage thanks to Dylvinci painting images of the gangsta lifestyles they’ve experienced. “Her Favourite” sensually details all his woman’s favorite things just before “I’m Standing Right Here” hopping over synths & hi-hats talking about making money forever.

“Tryna See” gives me a psychedelic feeling continuing the themes of romance & after the “Lost” skit, “No Time Soon” brings in the horns talking about being the one. “Pool” featuring PNDRN takes it back to the plugg sound looking to be making moves while “Watch” has a peaceful trap atmosphere talking about how he’s the one calling shots.

After the “Guidance” skit, “RollAnotha1” keeps it trillwave bragging that he got a whole lotta Funyons while the title track is just an outro. The first of 2 bonus tracks though “Hustler” starts the encore of the LP with strings & hi-hats addressing those who’re misinformed prior to “Mind of da Crook” officially concluding Out the Woods jumping over synthesizers doing what it took.

This definitely isn’t one of my favorite Tony Shhnow projects or anything like that although I will say that I still enjoyed a pretty good amount of what we got here since he’s one of the most interesting hip hop artists in the underground today. I can do without the skits & a couple of the features, but it’s awesome to see him predominantly taking it back to his plugg sound & his ear-grabbing bars never fail to amuse.

Score: 3.5/5

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ScHoolboy Q – “Blue Lips” review

THis is tHe 6tH full-lengtH LP from SoutH Los Angeles emcee ScHoolboy Q. Emerging at tHe beginning of tHe decade as 1/4 of Black Hippy, He released His first 2 albums Setbacks and Habits & Contradictions independently until making His major label debut witH Oxymoron turning 10 last month. THis would be followed up witH Blank Face LP a couple years later & CrasH Talk, tHe latter of wHicH is regarded as Q’s weakest & most commercial body of work. So after nearly 5 years, Blue Lips had to be tHe most excited I’ve been for a Top Dawg Entertainment project in recent memory after Kendrick Lamar’s final album witH tHe label Mr. Morale & tHe Big Steppers.

“Funny Guy” is a feel-good intro produced by Tae Beast of tHe TDE in-House production team Digi+PHonics encouraging to bring tHe dope, Hoes & money bag to tHe spot wHereas “Pop” featuring Rico Nasty dabbles witH rap rock a little courtesy of Beat ButcHa talking about tHe gang activities tHey’ve gotten tHemselves into. “THank god 4 me” tries to keep tHe peace instead of piecing bitcHes over Horns & Hi-Hats witH a cloudy switcH-up just before tHe drumless “Blueslides” profoundly pays tribute to Mac Miller.

Cardo’s production on “Yeern 101” Has some experimentally lowend undertones tHrougHout energetically running it off top leading into tHe minimalist “Love Birds” talking about mistreating tHe one He loves tHe most. “Movie” featuring Az CHike turns tHe bass up to 11 referring to tHemselves as badass kids mucH like Bruce Lee, but tHen “Cooties” fuses kicks & snares witH acoustics celebrating better living.

“oHio” featuring Freddie Gibbs ends tHe first Half of tHe album witH a dynamic 3-parter sHutting sHit down wHile “Foux” featuring Ab-Soul is tHe long-awaited 4tH installment of tHe “Druggys wit Hoes” series witH a psycHedelic flare to tHe beat. “First” gives off a cloudier vibe addressing a woman tHat Q was fuckin’ witH first wHile tHe DJ KHalil-laced “Nunu” promises to God tHat you’ll continue to Hear new music from Him instead of waiting 5 years again.

MeanwHile, “Back n Love” featuring Devyn Malik dives into nocturnal trap territory talking about falling in love witH tHis sHit again becoming tHe voice of 20,000 kids like WWE Hall of Famers D-Generation X wHile my favorite on the LP “Lost Times” Has tHat signature AlcHemist sound putting a finger in tHe air for tHe times He can’t get back. “Germany ‘86” Has a groovier tone instrumentally reminding tHat pain is a part of man wHile “Time Killers” futuristically talking about being a lone star.

“Pig Feet” cops down over a spacious trap beat mentioning tHe finisHing move of 10-time WWE world cHampion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental CHampion, 5-time WWE Tag Team CHampion, United Football League (UFL) co-owner, TKO Group Holdings board of directors member, $7 Productions co-founder & tHe final boss of professional wrestling THe Rock while “Smile” cHarismatically finisHes tHe album witH a 1-minute cut about swerving His old bitcH.

Q’s my 2nd favorite Black Hippy member beHind Kendrick but now tHat tHe latter departed TDE couple years ago to focus on pgLang, He Has to be my new favorite artist on tHe current roster & Blue Lips lived up to my expectations redeeming Himself from CrasH Talk last time we Heard from him. THe production mostly Handled by Tae Beast is less commercial tHan it was on tHat previous LP before tHe COVID-19 pandemic sHut tHe world down tHe following spring & Q also sounds more inspired.

Score: 4/5

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DaeMoney – “Rockstar Lifestyle 2” review

Detroit trap star DaeMoney back with his 2nd LP over a year after the full-length debut. Coming up as the nephew of one of the 2 biggest artists in the city right now Babyface Ray as well as a member of the WRLD Tour Mafia collective, he broke out on his own by dropping his debut mixtape Young Sexual Misconduct & his debut EP Slae Season accompanied by his 2nd EP Rockstar Lifestyle& then his previous tape Slae Season 2. Slae went on to sign to EMPIRE Distribution couple summers ago & celebrated in the form of his latest EP Slayer’s Coming fully produced by Trees shortly after as well as the final installment of the Slae Season trilogy. However, I was interested in the sequel to Rockstar Lifestyle especially considering the singles.

“Jimmy Neutron” is a spaciously bouncy trap opener referencing former 3-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, 9-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore 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 whereas “Flexin’” takes a cloudier approach instrumentally getting heavy with the braggadocio on the lyrical side of things. “Nun to Prove” gives off this mystical trap flare to the beat talking about never having shit to prove, but then “Earned It” featuring Babyface Ray himself rambunctiously talks about deserving to go as hard as they do with the help of LulRose.

Babytron joins Dae on “Mafia & Militia” so they can globetrot over synthesizers & hi-hats while “Granny’s Car” continues the atmospheric trap vibes talking about being high as Hell every time you see him. “Pent Talk” featuring KARRAHBOOO puts a bigger emphasis on the synths sounding off their thoughts from the penthouse prior to “Japanese Denim” featuring LUCKI & Veeze hooking up more synths & hi-hats repping the titular brand of jeans.

“Double C’s” featuring Joony goes for a moodier approach talks about doing all the drugs he does to forget reminiscing just before the cloudy Detroit trap fusion “Mini Me” shrugs off those who be ballin’ with him since he’s more worried of the millions he’s trying to stack up. “All Night” hops over hi-hats & minimal synthesizers tells his homies it’s gonna be ok while “Euphoria” is a calming smoker’s ballad. “Different Places” ends the LP in trippy fashion responding to being asked how he’s living.

The original Rockstar Lifestyle is one of the most notable EPs in Slae’s catalog, so for him to recapture that energy nearly 3 years later & close to 13 months since finishing the Slae Season trilogy wasn’t as bad of an it idea. He’s continuing to gradually step up in the ranks as one of the best in the current local trap scene, the guest-list is bigger & the overall sound is more cloudier.

Score: 4/5

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Monoxide – “The Chainsmoker II” review

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 4.5/5

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Keagan Grimm – “Gospell” review

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 4/5

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Renelle 893 – “Art Thief” review

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 3.5/5

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KiD CuDi – “INSANO 2: NITRO MEGA” review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 3.5/5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 3.5/5

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