Merlyn Wood – “Velvet” review

Merlyn Wood is a 29 year old Ghanaian-American rapper & songwriter born in Accra, Ghana, Africa & raised in Texas known for being a member of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective. He also has a couple EPs under his belt with Teen Virgyn & Dirty Thunder, both of which where released to mixed reception as was Ameerlyn’s debut EP Slime in the Ice Machine under Blacksmith Recordings. Almost 23 months since Dirty Thunder, the Ol’ Dirty Bastard of the best boyband since 1 Direction is back by himself for his 3rd EP.

“Peace” was a stripped back choice of an intro singing over acoustics to ask when things are gonna get easier for him whereas “Ashes” embraces more of a pop rap/trap vibe talking about watching the crazy world we live in burn down. “Eater” pulls a bit of inspiration from rap rock for a description of those exact type of women & after “Nympho” continues to rap about lustful themes over a cloudy instrumental, “Backseat” finishes up with a trap outro getting down to business in the back of a car.

Dirty Thunder has gotta be my least favorite EP of the 3 that we have in the Merlyn Wood solo discography thus far, but Velvet’s the most versatile he’s sounded by himself since Teen Virgyn & a cut above that alongside it’s successor for his best solo material. The pop rap & cloud rap styles of that introductory EP are reincorporated fluidly except the secondary influences of wonky, alt-pop & alternative R&B are being replaced with the trap sounds of it’s follow-up along with rap rock & singer/songwriter.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ameer Vann – “WOOF” review

Here we have the 3rd EP from Houston, Texas rapper Ameer Vann. Coming up as one of the original members of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective, he played a key-role in their 2017 SATURATION trilogy in until getting kicked out of the boyband for sexual misconduct allegations the following year. Ameer’s removal from the boyband was a decision that is still polarizing by many, but Emmanuel was treated to mixed reception & Ameerlyn’s debut EP Slime in the Ice Machine was a tad bit better. Woof however peaked my interest, especially in light of BROCKHAMPTON’s dissolvement in 2022.

To get us started, “Listen” jumps over a symphonic trap instrumental to call himself a living messiah whereas “In the Building” aggressively talks about feelin’ himself at the spot & his trap being for everything must go clearance over pianos & hi-hats. “Yeah” dabbles with rage beats standing on business & setting out to change the game much like the SATURATION trilogy did while “Good Boy” goes drumless breaking everything he touches albeit staying optimistic that he’ll be fine.

“Medicine” has these impressive jazz influences throughout the beat talking about the shadows in the dark always following him just before “Gemini” starts with a drumless first half ahead of a dirty south switch-up always getting back up when he slips & falls poppin’ the trunk “Moving Slow” further embraces the chopped & screwed influences discussing cough medicine prior to the delicate trap joint “Shawty” serves as a dedication to his girl.

Nearing the encore of Woof, the song “Choosing” hooks up a slowed down soul sample with hi-hats dying by the second to live for the moment & the final track “Genesis” prior to the g-funk outro finishes up the EP officially by mixing trap & blues letting the world know that he found his peace in the darkest of places & that his connection with infinity cannot be cloned in any way shape or form.

Even if I thought Emmanuel had better production, Woof is still a good 21 minute EP & makes me hope that Ameer continues to further improve himself from here because I like Ameer’s first solo effort since BROCKHAMPTON dissolved more than Slime in the Machine. The production ranges from trap to rage, drumless, jazz rap, g-funk, blues music, soul music, a hint of orchestral music or chopped & screwed allowing the SATURATION trilogy poster boy to tell us where he’s at currently.

Score: 3/5

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Ameerlyn – “Slime in the Ice Machine” review

Ameerlyn is a duo consisting of Houston, Texas emcee Ameer Vann as well as Ghanan-American recording artist Merlyn Wood, both of whom you may remember as original members of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective with Ameer being featured on the cover of their highly acclaimed SATURATION trilogy before being kicked out in 2018 due to sexual misconduct allegations & Merlyn being known for his Ol’ Dirty Bastard-like aura during his time in the best boy band since 1 Direction. Now it’s almost been a year since BROCKHAMPTON’s disbandment but only a week until Kevin Abstract puts out his 5th solo effort Blanket, I didn’t expect Blacksmith Recordings to sign Ameerlyn for their debut EP.

“Swisher” is an atmospherically bouncy opener to the EP with both of them delivering some energetically hardcore bars in their own characteristic manners whereas “Smog Check” goes for a cheery boom bap flare instrumentally talking about the lives they’ve made off this music shit. “On Everything” has a vibrant trap tone so both of them can ball like the playoffs just before “Okay” jumps on top of hi-hats humorously dropping more braggadocio.

Meanwhile, “Hit” goes for a moodier trap sound to get in their romance bags leading into the quickly produced “Freaks” talking about the weirdos coming out once the sun goes down. “Bling Bling” goes for an alien-esque sound to the beat continuing to boast, but then “Love’s a Scandal” shoots for a groovier aesthetic comparing love to some sort of wrongdoing.

The penultimate track “Song 2” draws near the end of Ameerlyn’s first EP together incorporates this mellow ass guitar lead getting on the more introspective side of things lyrically (especially Ameer) & as for the closer, “Ride” appropriately pays homage their Houston roots chopped & screwed style considering that BROCKHAMPTON originated in San Marcos.

As surprised as I was like other BROCKHAMPTON fans to hear Ameerlyn reuniting considering the allegations against Ameer & the highlight “DEARLY DEPARTED” off GINGER, I also had my curiosity about Slime in the Ice Machine & I wound up enjoying it as a fun little subgroup project. Merlyn & Ameer still match each other’s intensity as they always have been able to do so in the past with decent production also.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ameer Vann – “EMMANUEL” review

Ameer Vann is a 22 year old rapper from Houston, Texas who came up as one of the original members of the most beloved hip hop boyband of this decade: BROCKHAMPTON. He played a key-role in their SATURATION trilogy in 2017 but last spring, he was kicked out of the boyband for sexual misconduct allegations. I said this in my review of BROCKHAMPTON’s latest album GINGER & I’ll say it again right now, but his removal from the boyband was a decision that is still polarizing by many to this very day. Ameer completely disappeared after his dismissal, but now he’s coming out of the shadows with his 2nd EP.

It all kicks off with the title track, where Ameer vents about his inner demons over a rubbery bass-line from Cool & Dre of all people. The next song “Pop Trunk” compares & contrasts his past & present self over a generically cloudy trap beat while the track “Glock 19” gets violent over a syrupy instrumental. The song “Los Angeles” has a dark hip house beat from Hit-Boy that’s somewhat interesting, but the lyrics & the tone of Ameer’s voice sound like they come from a place of bitterness. You didn’t lose your friends to fame, you lost them because of your actions. The penultimate track “Sunday Night” talks about drug use over a comatose instrumental & then EP then finishes off with “Plastic”, which pretty much sounds like an unfinished demo.

And that’s the thing: For a comeback that a lot of people including myself were waiting for, the results are pretty lukewarm. It’s probably his darkest work yet granted, but it’s so 1-dimensional & monotonous. Even the beats that Cool & Dre and Hit-Boy bring to the table are just so basic, that it’s disappointing. If Ameer continues to make anymore music in the future, he can certainly do better than this.

Score: 3/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “SATURATION III” review

With 2017 drawing to a close, California based hip hop boyband BROCKHAMPTON is giving us their 3rd full-length album & the final installment of their highly acclaimed SATURATION trilogy. The album starts off with “BOOGIE”, where they’re talking about how they’re taking over the game & the instrumental from Romil Hemnani & Jabari Manwa will make you wanna throw a party. The next track “ZIPPER” talks about their continuing rise to fame & the beat is infectious as Hell. The song “JOHNNY” is basically the group going back & forth reflecting about them during their adolescence up until now & the jazzy horn sample is super dope. The track “LIQUID” talks about their individual rags to riches stories & the beat is super murky.

After the “CINEMA 1” skit, we then go into the next song “STUPID”. Here, they talk about not wanting boys to see what’s in their phones & the last 2 verses from Dom McLennon along with his brother & BROCKHAMPTON de facto leader Kevin Abstract fits it perfectly. The track “BLEACH” talks about their demons over a druggy instrumental (with the deepest verse coming from Ameer Vann) & then the song “ALASKA” talks about feelin’ brand new over some strings referencing Facebook founder & Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The synths during the hook are great as well. The track “HOTTIE” sees the group talking their consciouses & I absolutely love how JOBA goes back & forth with both Merlyn Wood & Matt Champion on here.

After the “CINEMA 2” skit, we then get into the next song “SISTER / NATION”. Where they talk about finding themselves & their days are coming to rubble over a beat that starts off abrasive yet noisy, but then transitions into something spacey. The track “RENTAL” essentially tackles the idea of the collective losing it all & the beat from Romil alongside Q3 is pretty spacey. The penultimate song “STAINS” expresses their gratefulness of where they are now over a Neptunes-esque instrumental. After the “CINEMA 3” skit, we then go into the closer “TEAM”. It starts off with bearface. singing over a guitar, but then it changes into something more funky as the other members go back & forth with each other as they get semi-political.

As expected, BROCKHAMPTON finished the SATURATION trilogy the way they started it: near perfectly. The production is more experimental & it’s a bit more introspective. Can’t wait to see what they’re gonna do on their 4th album Team Effort in 2018

Score: 4.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “SATURATION II” review

Almost 3 months after their breakout debut SATURATION, San Marcos hip hop boyband BROCKHAMPTON is now delivering a follow-up. The opener “GUMMY” addresses their haters along with how they’ll ride with each other until the end over an amazingly eerie g-funk instrumental from in-house producers Romil Hemnani & Q3. The next song “QUEER” starts off even more abrasive both sonically & with the first 2 verses that’re delivered by Matt Champion & Merlyn Wood, but then it sounds more relaxing & the way they express & transition into each mood are just flawless. The track “JELLO” talks about their newfound success over an suspicious sounding instrumental & while the hook from the collective’s de facto leader Kevin Abstract is high-pitched, it is catchy. The short Ameer Vann solo cut “TEETH” vents about going from getting in trouble all his life to tanning on an island over some beautiful female soul vocals in the background. The track “SWAMP” talks about them going from rags to riches & while Jabari Manwa’s production does sound Neptunes inspired, it doesn’t come off as generic whatsoever. After a 40-second skit of Robert Ontenient sending a message to a lover, things then transition into the next song “TOKYO” where the group vents about internal conflict along with finding yourself over a jazzy instrumental. However, the Trick Daddy inspired hook from Kevin is just meh to me. The track “JESUS” solely has these somber keys throughout & it sees Kevin Abstract rapping a verse directed towards his ex-lover for the first half, but then we get a beautifully sung outro from bearface. on the other half. The track “CHICK” pretty much tells the internet gangsters to relax & that they’re only gonna become more popular over an ominous yet galactic-sounding instrumental. The song “JUNKY” has a hardcore beat & the way that they vent about their individual problems was very passionate. Especially with the first verse, where Kevin Abstract fires back at all the people who criticize him for being bisexual. After a skit where Robert’s praying in Spanish, we are then treated to the next song “FIGHT”. Here, Ameer & Dom McLennon talking about being bigger than just a target & not letting their worlds be attempted over an instrumental with a creepy Middle Eastern vibe to it. Funny enough, Kiko Merley’s production on the next track “SWEET” sounds kinda reminiscent to Madlib’s Beat Konducta in India album & out of all the verses, the last one from JOBA really stood out to me. Mainly because of the way he continuously changes the pitch of his voice throughout the duration of it à la Kendrick Lamar. The song “GAMBA” sees the group singing about being happy with their lovers over a spacey instrumental that sounds just as beautiful & mood-enlightening. The penultimate track “SUNNY” talks about not wanting to see bad days along with smoking after talking to Ameer’s parole officer over a twangy guitar with a Southern tone to it. The closer “SUMMER” is pretty much bearface. singing about how his male crush should be his over some somber piano keys, but then comes in a guitar that sounds reminiscent to the psychedelic rock era from the 60’s & you can’t help but just slowly groove along to it. Not a lot of sequel albums live up to the hype of their predecessors, but this is one of those rare occasions where it actually does. It’s similar to the first one in a few ways (i.e. the letters of the song titles along with the Ameer solo cut & the bearface. closer) but it sounds so much different & it’s just as consistent, creative & passionate than before. This definitely makes me anticipate SATURATION III to drop by the end of the year, because they’re really continuing to be a breath of fresh air in today’s hip hop scene

Score: 4.5/5

BROCKHAMPTON – “SATURATION” review

BROCKHAMPTON is a San Marcos, Texas based hip hop collective & this is their breakout full-length debut. The tape opens up with the song “HEAT”, where we get 4 aggressive verses about things such as robbing your crib along with depression & the ominous instrumental from Romil Hemnani actually reminds me of Odd Future. The 2nd track “GOLD” is a braggadocious tune & Q3’s production on here sounds a lot more mellow than it did on the opener. The song “STAR” making tons of pop culture references including the A24 Films coming-of-age drama Moonlight over a menacing tuba from Jabari Manwa & out of all of them, my personal favorite was the one near the end of the first verse where Dom McLennon’s talking about the collective “going ’04 Pistons on ’em”. The track “BOYS” talks about feeling like southern hip hop’s answer to 1 Direction & the vocal effects that happen during the hook actually took me a minute to fully appreciate. Also while I presume that a lot of people will automatically dismiss Dom’s verse on here because it has auto-tune on it, the auto-tune on it, it actually doesn’t bother me at all. The song “2PAC” is a 1-minute Ameer Vaan solo track & he pretty much talks about his internal conflicts over a smooth piano from Kiko Merley that enhances the emotion of the track. The track “FAKE” talks about hitting them up on their phones over a spacey instrumental & while it was interesting to hear that the voices on all 3 verses are all high-pitched, I feel like Dom didn’t have to throw Auto-Tune on top of his. The song “BANK” sees Dom & Ameer respectively talking about not slippin’ anymore & reminiscing about selling weed until moving to California over an instrumental that starts off with a tropical vibe, but then transitions into a more murky beat during Ameer’s short verse. The track “TRIP” talks about being who you want, but all 3 verses are so heavily Auto-Tuned that it sounds too robotic for me. The song “SWIM” discusses love & I absolutely love how it starts off with just an acoustic guitar, but then they throw in some drums & a couple blaring synths. The verses are auto-tuned again but here, they’re not throwing an excessive amount on it like they did on the previously mentioned track. The track “BUMP” energetically goes in about ridin’ down to Mexico & drug dealing over a beat that mostly sounds dubstep-influenced, but briefly transitions into a sole guitar passage every single time the hook from the collective’s de facto leader Kevin Abstract hook comes around. The lyrical content on the song “CASH” is self-explanatory & Kevin’s extremely short verse sounds buried in the mix, but the next 3 verses sound way more passionately delivered & I like the guitar licks throughout the song. The song “MILK” talks about self-improvement & the instrumental has this really cool psychedelic vibe to it. The penultimate track “FACE” talks about how upset they are now that their significant others have left & the somber-tuned instrumental fits perfectly with the tone of the track. The closer “WASTE” is a 2 & a half minute bearface. solo track where he’s singing about losing his way albeit being alright over some killer electric guitars & his voice to me is reminiscent to Frank Ocean’s. This thing has gotten A LOT of hype since it dropped a few days ago & it actually does live up to it. The content is on point, both the passion & energy are there, it sounds more creative & well put together than their previous mixtape All-American Trash did, the auto-tune only gets to me at certain points, & it’ll all make make you anticipate seeing what they’re gonna do next

Score: 4.5/5