FKA twigs – “Eusexua 2: Afterglow” review

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom singer/songwriter & dancer FKA twigs releasing a sequel to Eusexua with her 4th album. Notable in the art pop scene for her XL Recordings subsidiary Young Recordings debut EP2 after her eponymous debut EP along with her full-length debut LP1 & her 3rd EP M3LL155X. Her sophomore effort Magdalene was also acclaimed with many saying it’s better than LP1 & the same goes with her Atlantic Records-backed debut mixtape Caprisongs, releasing Eusexua at the beginning of 2025 & has followed it up almost 10 months later with Afterglow.

“Love Crimes” makes for a post-dubstep intro singing about the best time being the hardest ones to let go & advising her lover to take things slow whereas “Slushy” blends alternative R&B & glitch pop so she can create some harmony by painting her own utopia with her mind. “Wild & Alone” featuring PinkPantheress finds the 2 joining forces over a UK garage be at to sing about loving a celebrity who constantly has the feeling of isolation leading into ”Hard” pulling inspiration from Janet Jackson a little describing the way she wants to be loved.

Trip hop, illbient, alternative r&b, future garage, chopped & screwed, ambient dub and eccojams all collide on the final single “Cheap Hotel” yearning for her & her romantic interest to go all night with each other sexually at a spot behind the club just before “Touch a Girl” shifts more towards an alternative R&B vibe singing about a clever man leaving her spinning although he’s not good with women. The lead single “Predictable Girl” comes across as an internal monologue blending UK bass, 2-step, glitch pop deconstructed club, future garage & industrial techno while “Sushi” starts the 2nd half singing about wanting to take this guy out.

“Piece of Mine” starts the final moments of Eusexua 2: Afterglow balancing glitch pop & alternative R&B advising the man she’s with to relax his mind because he’s a part of her while “Lost All My Friends” could be my least favorite track here due to be heavily repetitive songwriting despite the EDM approach instrumentally. “Stereo Boy” finishes twigs’ 2nd full-length of 2025 singing about hearing the static within the titular character’s heart, allowing him to drive herself off the edge if she can land in his oils although her pain has remained even after she changed the station.

Maintaining than continuing the primary electronic dance music influences of it’s predecessor & swapping out the art pop elements in favor of alternative R&B, what was originally set to be an expansion of Eusexua has become a spiritual successor that’s more experimental than it’s counterpart. The production additionally exploring sounds of UK garage, post-dubstep, glitch pop, UK bass & deconstructed club expands on the feelings that come after experiencing Eusexua & transmuting them into a soundtrack for the hours after the rave tackling themes of freedom alongside pleasure & maximizing every moment to the fullest.

Score: 4.5/5

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SosMula – “Kamp Krystl Lake” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Manhattan, New York rapper SosMula. Coming up as 1/3 of the now defunct City Morgue alongside fellow emcee ZillaKami & producer Thraxx, they’ve released 2 full-length albums & an EP together up before branching out on their own for a little bit. Sos was the first to step up to the plate by dropping 13 Songs 2 Die 2, which was a bit of a disappointment in my opinion due to the features & production. ZillaKami followed it up a month later with HIS solo debut Dogboy & the duo reunited to drop Bottom of the Barrel the month after that, both of those I found much more tolerable. 2 High 2 Die was better than it’s predecessor & the Sleez Machine EP that fall was the worst solo effort of his yet. Signing to Limosa Nostra Records & Atlantic Records following the divisive reception of his final Republic Records offering Sleez Religion, it only makes to go to Kamp Krystl Lake on Halloween.

“Killa Season” begins with a bloodcurdling trap metal intro talking about shooting his opps on camera whereas “Mr. Anderson” bombastically flexes that his stick matches the kicks in his wardrobe. A favorite of mine “Kathedral” featuring Ricky Hil & produced by Thraxx blends a shredding guitar riff & some hi-hats to get on some gangsta rap shit lyrically leading into “Aaron Hernandez” referencing the disgraced New England Patriots tight end of the same name.

Moving on from there, we get more trap metal production on “Blood of My Blood” showing a bit of a Marilyn Manson inflection in SosMula’s vocals during the hook just before “God’s Country” embraces a cloudier trap direction & pens a more nauseating chorus than earlier. The lead single “Trench Brazy” was an impressive 2-parter Lex Luger cooked up likening himself to a pimp while “House in the Trees” feels like God isn’t answering his prayers.

“Project Baby” was another exciting single reusing the same beat as “Deception” by Cameron Azi from 13 months ago except I feel like Mula suits it better down to the additionally included sampling of “Pop Out” by Playboi Carti while “Spiral” angrily talking about running up to houses to put his gun in the mouths of whoever opens it. “Preacher” speaks of hooking up with the reaper & gangbangers repping his set while “Mercedez Brazy” takes a slower approach than the other singles.

The song “Blakk Bootz” winds down Kamp Krystl Lake’s final 8 minutes with an industrial trap sound talking about his preference of rockin’ an all black got while “Outlaw Squad” contains some of the goofiest vocals throughout the album comparing himself to a fugitive. “Circus Roaches” lastly ends things experimenting with a grungy rock outro talking about him trying to figure out all this shit happening recently while “Excalibur” starts the deluxe run going to war over a trap metal beat.

“Spin Class (Fitness for Opps)” cloudily promises to gauge out the eyes of those going against him while “GTA VI” references Rockstar Games’ upcoming action-adventure game of the same name. “Death from Above” talks about the sky & eyes turning red over a rap rock instrumental while “Walk ‘Em Home” boasting all his stacks are chrome. “Barbellz” featuring Ricky Hil intriguingly trades the mic back-&-forth with one another the final bonus track “M. Bison” has a bar referring to WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson.

None of SosMula’s solo effort have come close to Dogboy but surprisingly, Kamp Krystl Lake gives pretty good reasons as to why Ricky Hil signed him to Limosa Nostra Records & Atlantic Records ahead of 10,000 Grams. Maybe even the best Sleezy has sounded on his own ever, stylistically drawing from the trap metal sound City Morgue pioneered to cloud rap & alternative rock taking it’s themes after the iconic Friday the 13th franchise.

Score: 4/5

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Gucci Mane – “Episodes” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper, record executive & entrepreneur Gucci Mane celebrating 1017 Day with his 17th album. Notable for being one of the Big 3 pioneers in trap music alongside T.I. & Jeezy, of course you can’t forget to mention him having one of if not the largest discography throughout the entire subgenre that continues to grow today. Breath of Fresh Air exactly 2 years ago was a decent 2-disc offering & to coincide with his new memoir, the 1017 Global founder has recorded a companion soundtrack to Episodes: The Diary of a Recovering Madman.

The title track produced by Pooh Beatz works in some pianos, hi-hats & a 2 Chainz vocal sample to talk about going crazy until taking the soulful trap route instrumentally so he can reflect going from bad dreams to “Beautiful Nightmares”. We get some more pitched sampling during “Voices” talking about dropping all of his artists besides Pooh Shiesty & Foogiano leading into “Psycho” questioning if his mental health has been declining.

“Gucci Special” vibrantly talks about leaving the whole parking lot annoyed after pulling up to kill that bitch while “Only Time” cautions at the last time someone tried to fuck with him, he almost caught a murder case. “Still So Icy” playfully talks about feeling like WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson with 2 tigers in his crib just before “Rich N***a Problems” breaks down the cons that come with being wealthy from his own personal experiences.

The chipmunk soul/trap fusions from earlier carry their way onto “I Need You” throwing a hint of pop rap into the mix paying tribute to his wife Keyshia while “Cold” swaps out the soul elements in favor of acoustics talking about going from the bed to the floor with his wife. “In Common” discusses the similarities between him & women who don’t take shit from anyone while “Savages” flexes that your favorite actress is on her knees kissing his ring.

“Money” locks in with Murda Beatz to talk about his children loving to spend their bread & him falling asleep with stacks in bed while “Forest” with co-production from Bricks da Mane boasts of him moving invincibly because of the invulnerability he’s had throughout his whole career. “Record Deal” talks about his way of life being waking up while chasing bags while “Real” discusses his boss status & 2 decade plus longevity over synthesizers & hi-hats.

OJ da Juiceman appears for the nostalgic “Back Cooking” taking it back to the mid/late 2000s whipping work again while “Preference” talks about not having any kind of favorite hoes over Honorable C.N.O.T.E. incorporating some pianos. “You Don’t Love Me” featuring Sexyy Red samples “I Think I Love Her” playing off one another’s verses perfectly while “Hit” featuring Bossman DLow didn’t need to be included whatsoever since it originally appeared on DLow Curry.

“Heard” starts the final leg of Episodes by talking about hearing all kinds of crazy regarding a hoe he’s familiar with whether it be the sex causing men to break the law & not having a car as a result of low income while the soulful trap hybrid “Lust or Love” asks the woman he has in mind what her intentions with him. “Just Like Me” finishes it all of with 1 final trap song talking about spending money like it grows on trees.

I‘m still pretty in different towards Breath of Fresh Air, but Episodes surpasses what very few expectations I had going into it with the most enjoyable Gucci Mane album since Ice Daddy excluding the So Icy Boyz compilation. The production Pooh Beatz primarily handles is significantly more interesting than it was 104 weeks previously & thematically, he’s basically giving the world a look at his own struggles with mental health.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ty$ – “Tycoon” review

Ty$ is a 43 year old singer/songwriter, rapper, musician & producer from Los Angeles, California becoming popular during my 1st half of high school when his 3rd mixtape Beach House dropped. Signing to both Atlantic Records & Taylor Gang Entertainment afterwards, his full-length debut Free TC in the fall of 2015 was welcomed to warm reception although Beach House 3 & Featuring Ty$ were both merely average compared to it’s predecessor. He’s also a part of the duos MihTy with Jeremih & of course ¥$ alongside one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye or formerly known as Kanye West, the latter making their debut with Vultures during Super Bowl LVII weekend & dropping a widely panned sequel almost 6 months later. Unfortunately due to Ye’s deteriorating behavior on Twitter between February & May, the final chapter of the planned Vultures trilogy has been cancelled & the EZMNY Records founder has shifted his focus towards what could be his greatest solo album ever.

“Can’t Be Fucked Wit” opens with a 2-parter swimming with the sharks & asking what would you for the chance to become a magnate whereas “Don’t Kill the Party” featuring Quavo with the Shoreline Mafia on the remix produced by BNYX of Working on Dying, Juicy J & Ye survives the Vultures 3 sessions talking about being too geeked. “December 31” featuring A$AP Rocky yearns to have both of their respective lovers to themselves because that’s been their main focuses evident through Don’t Be Dumb’s constant delays while the hyphy/pop rap single “Smile Body Pretty Face” featuring YG talks about a couple making the same mistakes together.

Tory Lanez’ appearance on the final single “Show Me Love” was completely unnecessary despite the Hitmaka instrumental & the lyrics of wanting affection shown towards them whenever they pull up to your city while “Tycoon$” featuring Lil Baby & Young Thug trades the mic with one another boasting their wealth. The lead single “All In” meshes Afrobeats & Jersey club rap sampling “No Letting Go” by Wayne Wonder asking to spoil Izabella Metz while “Twitch” featuring Tyga & 2 Chainz locks in with DJ Mustard bringing their respective squads out to the club for the evening.

“What I Want” featuring Lil Wayne talks about women they don’t necessarily need her still desire while “Say It” featuring Playboi Carti on the remix longs for genuine affection towards a woman who claims to love him even though she doesn’t show it referencing the late Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne during Carti’s verse. “On Repeat” featuring Destroy Lonely & Rich the Kid talking about no one being slicker than them & after “Harder” suggests that maybe he should be “pushing it” a bit more firmly, “Mixed Emotions” featuring Leon Thomas III & Travis Scott talks about finding women to trust over a Taurus beat.

Chlöe later joins Ty$ for the song “Wit It”, starting the final leg of Tycoon to whip up another contemporary R&B/pop rap fusion while “I Wish” asks if we can all simply get along & wishing for Ty’s older brother Big TC to do the things he can do if he wasn’t incarcerated. “Wheels Fall Off” by ¥$ ruins a trap instrumental DJ Camper & Ye cooked up together showing minor influences of R&B, trap soul & ratchet with a YeI verse although I absolutely appreciate Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy being removed from both the start & finish of it.

Many people including myself have considered Ty$ to be a features artist since his last couple of full-lengths haven’t really lived up to Free TC but since he outperformed Ye on both entries of the cancelled Vultures trilogy a year earlier, Tycoon presents the EZMNY Records founder at the top of his game artistically exactly a week away from his biggest signing’s new EP Pholks. Although a few guests punch under their weight, I like that it’s shorter than both Beach House 3 & Featuring Ty$ were in addition to providing the audience a look at where he’s at in his career both artistically & personally.

Score: 3.5/5

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OsamaSon – “Psykotic” review

Here is the 4th studio LP from Charleston, South Carolina star OsamaSon. Starting a few years ago, he would then start to pump out 3 EPs shortly after I’m da Man as well as Vengeance & Carnival respectively. He returned at the beginning of 2023 by dropping osamavrt, following it up in the form of slime & Bad Habits. Osama’s debut Osama Season & the follow-up Flex Musix increased his profile as did the 3vil Reflection collab EP with Glokk40Spaz. Jumpout came out at the beginning of 2025 & he’s looking to get a bit more Psykotic.

“Habits” opens with a distorted beat getting the mosh pits jumpin’ whereas “Worldwide” produced by gyro talks about the lifestyles of the rich & famous over a futuristic trap instrumental. The self-produced “Addicted” shifts back in rage territory to spit braggadocio while “Get Away” takes a more melodic approach so he can talk about never falling short like his competition are.

The Halloween vibes of “Maag Dump” are absolutely perfect with the holiday coming in 3 weeks flexing that his lil shooter hits shit for fun just before the chaotic “T193” references the late WWE Hall of Famer Paul Bearer. “FMJ” featuring che reunites the 2 & CXO nearly 3 months after “Hellraiser” for another exciting rage collaboration while the appropriately dark “Inferno” talks about being 20 when Atlantic signed him.

“She Woke Up” reaches the halfway point melodically boasting that he’s in this chick’s head rent free leading into him hyperactively making the “Function” jump to start the 2nd leg. “In It” gives off a more colorful rage mood tackling the theme of love & that same peppiness can be applied to “Yea I Kno” except he’s talking about his success.

gyro samples “Shirt Off” by Gucci Mane, Frenchie, OJ da Juiceman & Wooh da Kid during the chaotic “What’s Happening” & Lil O saving one of Psykotic’s best flows for his sole verse while “It’s a Party” talks about being fresh like every day his last & once “Gintama” homages the baby voice Playboi Carti used during the late 2010s, “Guap Man” takes almost 3 minutes to boast his wealth until the celebratory “Victory Lap”.

Joining the ranks of che’s newest album Rest in Bass or the recent Lucy Bedroque mixtape Unmusique & of course the new Jane Remover album Revengeseekerz, Psykotic in due time will certainly be regarded as the greatest work of OsamaSon’s entire career & amongst the most essential rage listenings of this ongoing decade from the mainly hardcore lyricism to the production’s undertones of experimental hip hop, industrial hip hop & trap.

Score: /5

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Young Thug – “UY SCUTI” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Young Thug releasing his 4th studio LP fresh off a series of controversial jail phone calls being leaked. Proving himself to have impacted the modern sound of trap music whether some heads like him or not, he has achieved this by dropping classic mixtapes like Barter 6 & JEFFERY or starting up his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records & even the clothing line SP5DER. He made his full-length debut So Much Fun in 2019 executive produced by J. Cole & was one of the best trap projects of that year, but the 2021 sophomore effort P*nk received mixed reviews although I thought it was still solid although not as good as the debut & Business is Business felt like the closest we’ll get to a Metro Thuggin’ project for now. Approximately a month following his now ex-girlfriend Mariah the Scientist’s most important offering of her career Hearts Sold Separately, the Atlanta trap trailblazer has finally made up for UY SCUTI’s delays.

“Ninja” produced by Southside & Dez Wright starts with a surprisingly exciting trap intro derailed by dropping the hard R whereas “Yuck” featuring Ken Carson teams up over a Taurus instrumental to discuss shit getting lit. “On the News” featuring Cardi B finds the pair on top of a London on da Track beat to ask what it feels like seeing their faces on the television while “Catch Me I’m Falling” recalls meeting with Brian Steel when incarcerated.

Metro Thuggin’ reunites for “Fucking Told U” to talk about their respective lifestyles just before “Whoopty Doo” hilariously pokes fun at his interview on the Perspektives podcast earlier this month with Wheezy. “Blaming Jesus” has one of my least favorite instrumentals on the album despite the theme of needing real love & pleading that it’s not a phase prior to “Sad Slime” talking about his falling out with Gunna.

“R.I.P. Big & Mack” featuring T.I. unites both trap pioneers of their own generations for a historic Atlanta moment remembering the late Lil Keed who Thug wishes he cherished more than some of the other former artists on YSL while “Invest Into You” by Metro Thuggin’ goes pop rap/trap to talk about investing into Mariah & vice versa. “I’m So Dope” boisterously boasts of his legacy within the subgenre of trap while “Pardon My Back” featuring Lil Baby starts the 2nd half dropping braggadocio.

Sexyy Red joins Thug on “Mami” for a fun strip club banger while “Whaddup Jesus” featuring YFN Lucci squashes the beef between the 2 with an average collaboration over a synth-heavy TM88 beat. “Walk Down” featuring 21 Savage unites both local trap stars over a trap instrumental with some bells to rep their own sets while “Pipe Down” by Cactus Slatt locks in with Metro Boomin’ talking about nobody being richer than them.

“Spider or Jeffery” featuring Quavo lets their lovers know the 2 names that they prefer them to call them by whilst praising God for allowing them to beat the corrupt system while “Revenge” featuring Lil Gotit & 1300SAINT unites the trio to seek pure vengeance.“Money on Money” featuring Future talks about loyalty to their individuals circles & disdain for snitches while “Dreams Rarely Do Come True” featuring Mariah the Scientist is a 2-parter humorously comparing him crying to Gunna snitching to crying over a bitch.

The final single “Miss My Dogs” ends with an apology to everyone addressed in the leaked jail calls while the country trap hybrid “By the Police” starts the deluxe run throwing it back to the Beautiful Thugger Girls era. “Pussy Smell Like This” asks if any younger artist is shinin’ the way he is while “All Your Time” leans heavier towards the pop rap style with lustful lyrics. “Safe” with Leon Thomas III tackles his insecurities that his reputation overshadows while “I Put A” featuring the late Lil Keed talks about these rap dudes not being his kind over a Mike WiLL-Made It beat.

“Rosetta Stone” appreciably takes its cues from the Beautiful Thugger Girls days again although the “fuck that lil’ 13” line made me cringe while “Yes You Can” suggests to let others take his style as long as they ain’t taking his life. “Fighting Depression” happens to be a P*nk outtake that ATL Jacob cooked up talking about feeling superb yet trying to fight for something that he feels deserving of while “It’s Ok to Cry” remembers his late homie who passed away in 2020. “Spit in My Mouth” talks about getting freaky with a Japanese woman in bed & the final bonus track “Birthday Boy” featuring Mariah the Scientist reunites with each other 1 last time for an R&B/pop rap duet seeking trust.

Taking into consideration that this is the first proper solo effort from Young Thug since P*nk because Metro Boomin’ produced 60% of Business is Business over 2 years ago, all the controversy surrounding the YSL founder a few weeks ago had me a bit worried regarding the final product of UY SCUTI. However, I actually enjoyed his final project under 300 Entertainment & Atlantic Records a lot more than P*nk excluding Business is Business & would easily put it above The Last Wun. It’s exciting to hear him with other producers on Metro’s level & Thugger’s more introspective since coming home.

Score: 4/5

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Cardi B – “Am I the Drama?” review

The sophomore effort from New York City rapper, actress, the hostess of the Endeavor owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s SummerSlam XXXVIII last month Cardi B has seen the light of day. Signing to Atlantic Records in early 2017 off both the Gangsta Bitch Music tapes, neither those or her full-length studio debut Invasion of Privacy would win me over on her musically although her success certainly can’t be denied. Her ex-husband Offset formerly of the Migos released the introspective Kiari last month & wants to ask Am I the Drama? the weekend after the current WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio ended former The Crash Pesocompleto Campeon El Hijo del Vikingo’s 2nd reign as AAA Mega Campeon at Worlds Collide V promoted with the WWE’s newly acquired Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) subsidiary to win his 1st world championship & Terence Crawford taking the undisputed super middleweight titles off of Canelo Álvarez during TKO’s newest division Zuffa Boxing’s inaugural event.

“Dead” starts Cardi’s return with a cinematic trap instrumental talking about wanting all these hating bitches 6 feet deep in the ground whereas “Hello” boastfully finds herself geekin’ out & turning up at the party. “Magnet” produced by Pooh Beatz simultaneously takes a few jabs at Offset alongside a horrid dig towards Lil Uzi Vert & JT while the tropical “Pick It Up” featuring Selena Gomez compares the love they have for their current partners to a drug.

The way “Imaginary Players” by JAY-Z gets sampled during the boom bap/g-funk single “Imaginary Playerz” is ok although the celebratory verses are merely average to me leading into the bilingual “Bodega Baddie” talking about the borough that made her. “Salute” hops over a TM88 beat to give props to the real bitches that have her back just before “Safe” featuring Kehlani dedicates itself to Stefon Diggs.

“Man of Your Word” atmospherically delves deeper into Cardi’s divorce from Offset as does the bittersweet “What’s Goin’ On?”, except the latter goes for a bounce vibe & the AI Lizzo feature was unnecessary. “Shower Tears” blends cloud rap & trap to talk about Offset cheating on her while “Outside” takes further shots at her ex-husband over a Charlie Heat instrumental borrowing from the Detroit sound & bounce.

As for “Pretty & Petty”, we have Cardi B responding to BIA dissing her on “Sue Me?” over a west coast-tinged beat while “Better Than You” featuring Cash Cobain taps in with FNZ & Vinylz to spit braggadocio together. “Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun)” by Janet Jackson gets sampled for the sultry “On My Back” showing an R&B influence while “Errtime” featuring Jeezy & Latto on the remix talks about being the baddest.

“Check Please” speaks of wanting more money than problems in 2025 while “Principal” butchers “The Pleasure Principle”, which has actually been one of my all-time favorite Janet Jackson songs for as long as I can remember. “Trophies” talks about hoes being sore losers & dismisses all excuses while “Nice Guy” featuring Tyla goes Afrobeats thanks to London on da Track, Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic & venny portraying modern love.

The song “Killin’ You Hoes” winds down the last several minutes of Am I the Drama? by taking aim at her detractors while the no melody “Up” caps off Cardi’s sophomore effort officially by getting cockier than the next cut. “W.A.P. (Wet Ass Pussy)” featuring Megan Thee Stallion starts the deluxe run with the controversially raunchy 2020 hit while “Don’t Do Too Much” experiments with New York Drill talking about showing ‘em how to be sexy.

An average reflection of Cardi’s success after her full-length debut can be the best said regarding “Money” while “Please Me” featuring Bruno Mars mutates contemporary R&B, pop rap, synth-funk & trap for a 2019 Valentine’s Day celebration. The superior “Press” takes shots at the media coverage around that time over a KeY Wane beat while “Bongos” featuring Megan Thee Stallion collides pop rap, dembow, zess & funk brasileiro for an underwhelming “W.A.P. (Wet Ass Pussy)” spiritual successor.

“Like What” heavily samples “She’s a Bitch” by Missy Elliott talking about being classy & intolerable at the same time while OG Parker’s dirty south-inspired instrumental on “Enough (Miami)” sticks out to me tackling themes of self-assured resilience. After the “Dear Bardi Gang” spoken word bit, the final bonus track “Hot Shit” featuring Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West & Lil Durk serves up something masculine for their blocks over a no melody Tay Keith beat.

Only 24 hours prior to Stephanie Vaquer defeating イヨ・スカイ to become the new Women’s World Champion at WWE’s inaugural main roster pay-per-view on The Walt Disney Company subsidiary ESPN Wrestlepalooza V or former AEW tbs Champion Kris Statlander becoming the new AEW Women’s World Champion at All Out VII & former AEW World Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express reuniting, the seemingly mythical follow-up to Invasion of Privacy has arrived & I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would although I’m left on the fence with it. A little too long, but the production has improved slightly & I don’t mind Cardi B’s own performances all that much outside of a few cringey lines.

Score: 2.5/5

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Skepta – “Skepta .. Fred” review

London, England, United Kingdom rapper, songwriter & producer Skepta teaming up with local producer Fred again.. for his 3rd EP. A co-founder the Boy Better Know collective, a lot of people in the state including myself didn’t hop on board with him until almost a decade ago when he dropped his 4th album Konnichiwa to critical acclaim. This was followed up a couple years back with both Ignorance is Bliss & All In being welcomed to moderate reception, but the Skepta .. Fred singles had me anticipating this much more.

“Back 2 Back” fuses grime & dubstep together so he can talk about the recognition he’s gotten throughout his career whereas “London” carries over the styles of the previous track preferring to play the villain than the victim. “Last 1s Left” turns the dubstep influences up to talk about being the last of a dying breed while the soulful “21 Years” reflects on these past couple decades. “Victory Lap” co-produced by PlaqueBoyMax ends with a nod to the local community platform of the same name.

Both teasers that we’ve gotten these past few months confirms the speculation I had regarding Skepta doing a whole EP with Fred again.. & as I would’ve thought, it reveals itself to be the most cutting edge project he’s put out since Konnichiwa celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary next spring. Fred’s production plays well into the Boy Better Know co-founder’s grime style that he helped lay out the foundation for & simultaneously places electronic dance music as a secondary influence.

Score: 4.5/5

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Protect – “500 Days of Summer” review

Buffalo, New York rapper Protect hitting us with his 3rd studio LP almost 9 months since his last one came out. Introducing himself to the trap & plugg subgenres of hip hop by releasing his full-length debut All on Me & the sophomore effort Ball Hog for Life under Atlantic Records a year earlier, the latter being significantly more well received than its predecessor & some of the producer credits throughout 500 Days of Summer garnered my interest in giving it a proper chance almost a month until fall begins.

“Think About Ya” starts with a woozy trap instrumental talking about calling his girl 1,000 times & for his young slime to pick their head up whereas the blissfully rage-inducing “Hasta La Vista” suggests to come check his swag down. “Gossip Girl” produced by Cade gives a nod to The CW’s hit teen drama of the same name while “IfUGotMe” talks about his preference of having no one around because a lack of social battery.

Moving on from there, “Count Up” brings the hypertrap influences back in effect flexing that he has a kind of swag others would kill for leading into the trippy “Jumbo” comparing himself to King Kong & talking about being on fire. Rio Leyva & Vendr of Internet Money Records both killed their shares of the beat they made for “Redeye” wanting the world to watch him blossom while “Vlad” chaotically suggests to do what his gang says.

“Sip in My Room” ends 500 Days of Summer’s first half by talking about wanting to consume lean by himself in a bedroom while “Cartoon Network” named after the Discovery Global subsidiary of the same name flexing that he’s on TV & the channel can’t be changed. “Peyton List” talks about being in love with the racks in addition to asking for his twin to not break the code while “New Jeep” shows off his new whip, taking it for a quick spin.

As for “Sly Cooper”, we have Protect talking about not needing a discount for whenever he pulls up to the club bouncin’ while “Gee Wizz!!!” finds himself continuously trappin’ & being so geeked that he can’t even feel his face. “.Tor” makes a sick reference to the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Nickelodeon series Danny Phantom while “ICU” talks about seeing the way this unnamed individual stays moving.

“Lifeline” nears the conclusion of 500 Days of Summer advising that you don’t wanna fuck with him & having demons watching him despite lying about being ok while “World is Yours” explains that a cold day in Hell is more likely than him switching up. “Betray Ya” ties up the LP with him looking to race in an open road & waking up with a smile on his face because his life at this point has been nothing short of amazing.

Gonna say this right now & I don’t give a fuck if anyone disagrees with me on it: I could definitely imagine Protect crossing paths with local underground icon, Griselda Records founder & 4th Rope founder Westside Gunn on either Heels Have Eyes II or FLYGOD is an Awesome God III since And Then You Pray for Me was West’s example of holding down trap production similarly to his Hall ‘N Nash cohort Conway the Machine & of course Benny the Butcher. Anyways, I feel like 500 Days of Summer ditched the rage & plugg aesthetics of Ball Hot for Life in favor of cloudy pop rap to result in his strongest album currently.

Score: 3.5/5

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Alex Warren – “You’ll Be Alright, Kid” review

California singer/songwriter, YouTuber & influencer Alex Warren releasing his full-length debut. Co-founding the Hype House collective of TikTokers, he would go on to sign with Atlantic Records in 2022 & teased the 2nd disc of this very LP last fall as a precursor of what we could expect to hear exactly 4 weeks after the Hype House’s disbandment. It’ll be almost 2 months since Addison Rae’s own debut Addison revealed herself to be the most musically talented of the crew & Alex looks to catch up by unveiling the full version of You’ll Be Alright, Kid.

“Eternity” was actually a decent intro culminating in adult contemporary, pop rock & pop soul singing about his father passing away when he was 9 whereas “The Outside” throws a hint of CCM in the picture asking for sign because he’s down & out of his mind. “First Time on Earth” opens up about the regret he has of holding his late mother to a perfect standard when she has her own flaws leading into the below average stomp & holler/country pop single “Bloodline” featuring Jelly Roll.

Alex’s past & memories that made him the person he is today moderately get recalled over the course of the pop rock track “Never Too Far” just before one of the worst singles of the year “Ordinary” whips up a generically corny & uninspired take on adult contemporary, stomp & holler, pop rock, pop soul & gospel. “Everything” works in some pianos to sing about feeling like he’ll lose it all if his wife Kouvr Annon leaves him just before “Getaway Car” obnoxious mutates stomp & holler with pop rock feeling like the Devil’s catching up to him.

“Who I Am” hooks up some occasional gospel choir vocals in the background with more pianos loathing in self pity wanting to know who he is in the eyes of his lover, but then “You Can’t Stop This” comes off as an overly preachy stomp & holler song about being unstoppable when the reception of his music speaks for itself. The final single “On My Mind” featuring ROSÉ was an adult contemporary stomp & holler duet that utterly fails at attempting to capture any form of chemistry between the pair to end Disc 1 while another pop soul, pop rock and stomp & holler single “Burning Down” addresses the Hype House’s demise.

Disc 2 continues with the country pop-tinged “Catch My Breath” singing about being off his head since the night he & Kouvr met on Snapchat while the open letter Alex penned to Kouvr on the day of their wedding “Carry You Home” feels ripped off from “Hey Brother” by the late Avicii swapping out it’s initial country pop & festival progressive house influences in favor or pop rock. “Troubled Waters” continues the torturous stomp & holler/pop rock mutations singing about the only thing he’s learned is that love leaves him while “Heaven Without You” promises he’ll have Kouvr’s heart in every lifetime.

“Before You Leave Me” makes another mediocre attempt at a stomp & holler/pop rock single singing about the concept of 2nd chances while “Save You a Seat” tries to go in an indie folk direction for a tribute to his parents. “Chasing Shadows” bites Lewis Capaldi a little finding himself missing his deceased mother & father while “Yard Sale” uses the concept of garage sales as a weak metaphor for letting go. You’ll Be Alright, Kid‘s title track puts an end to Alex’s debut by looking back on his 12 year old self wishing he knew back then everything would be alright.

Justin Bieber & Benson Boone both being named amongst Alex Warren’s biggest musical influences makes the most sense in the context of You’ll Be Alright, Kid being an equally unlistenable album as American Heart was a month ago & Swag surpassing them both by only a slight margin. It’s conceptually reminiscent of Chance the Rapper’s debut The Big Day with an adult contemporary stomp & holler twist, but the songwriting & vocals are more grating.

Score: 1/5

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