Benji Blue Bills – “Out the Blue” review

Atlanta, Georgia gangsta rapper Benji Blue Bills recruiting Working on Dying member BNYX to produce his 3rd EP. Introducing himself in 2018 off his debut EP Before the Storm, his last EP Blue saw him taking 3 years off only to return for the full-length debut Campaign Blue & a sophomore effort 500k Degrees showing significant growth compared to his earlier material. BNYX has undeniably become an in-demand producer of this decade & hearing him behind the boards throughout the duration of Benji’s official Atlantic Records debut Out the Blue had a lot of promising potential.

“I Wonder” co-produced by BNYX’s brother BEAUTIFULMVN starts with a soulful trap vibe instrumentally talking about the hunger that’s always been inside him finally coming out whereas “1-2 Step” heavily samples “1, 2 Step” by Ciara & Missy Elliott explaining that murder dancing is legitimately the only thing he knows how to do. “Feels CoreCore” heads towards a calmer, cloudier trap direction relating to what it’s like to lose a bitch leading into the rage-inducing “Morgan” finding himself going crazy.

Moving on from there, “Taco Shells” has to be my least favorite track if I had to pick one mainly due to it being one of the more repetitive moments lyrically just before the futuristically bell-woven “All the Way” talks about everything falling in place. “Aye Rage” gives new jazz a shot so he can throw shade towards jace! & “Right Key” gets on his pluggnb bag for a brief minute keeping his heart in a safe. “Down Girl” featuring Duki rounds out the EP with a bilingual romance duet doing anything if one or the other is down.

His name has come up on my radar a few times in the current decade because of his ties with DJ Phat or singles like “I’m Right Here”, but BNYX really locks in with 3B on Out the Blue enough where I can call it the greatest body of work the latter has ever conceived. BNYX’s production backs 3B’s gangsta heavy themes channeling the sounds of chipmunk soul, trap, pluggnb, rage & new jazz elevating the Atlanta artist’s whole style to coincide with his major label deal.

Score: 4/5

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Shoreline Mafia – “Back in Bidness” review

The Shoreline Mafia are a Los Angeles, California duo now consisting of Ohgeesy & Fenix Flexin’. Originally a quartet, their debut mixtape ShorelineDoThatShit resulted in them signing to Atlantic Records for their next couple tapes & EPs as well as a full length studio debut. They would temporarily disband following Mafia Bidness so its members could pursue their solo careers, reuniting with half its members in 2023 & returning to Atlantic in tandem with 300 Entertainment for a sophomore effort.

The title track fuses hyphy & trap to get the ball rollin’ talking about their return whereas “Touch Down” puts a bigger emphasis on hyphy thanks to DJ Snake including a reference to The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy on the Discovery Global-owned Cartoon Network. “Back 2 Back” morbidly demands to know where the cabbage at & showing ‘em the money just before the ratchet “Too Often” talks about not fucking with broke bitches at all.

“Watch That Hoe” blends trap & hyphy once more advising for everyone to stay on their toes leading into “Broski” swaps out the hyphy influences in favor of Mobb music asking what you’re in the game for if you ain’t even tryna do it. “No Makeup” vibrantly references former IWGPヘビー級王座 as well as a 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions Brock Lesnar while “Fast & Furious” gets back with DJ Snake for another hyphy heater.

As for “Rubbaband Man”, we have the Shoreline Mafia going for a nervous direction paying homage to T.I.’s most popular single while “Shoreline Twins” homages the Ying Yang Twins down to Mr. Collipark handling the co-production. “Work of Art” feels like a bit of a traffic music/g-funk crossover asking what the salary of these women are since they belong in galleries & want them by their sides, but then “Yoga & Pilates” shouts out all the bitches who do those 2 things.

“Go for Me” gets the final leg of Back in Bidness started by throwing guns in the building taking shots at everyone who be acting like they got cash & don’t actually show it while “Tusi” talks about a follow-up being guaranteed if it’s really beef with them. “Set the Record Straight” cautions that you have to have a resume in order to be near their presence & the gospel flip DJ Paul does on “Top Notch” saves the best beat for last talking about still being high quality after 5 years off.

Returning stronger than ever, Back in Bidness is a testament to the Shoreline Mafia’s brotherhood & proving that time apart hasn’t dulled their signature sound. From the hard-hitting production reclaiming the throne of the nervous scene following Drakeo the Ruler’s murder to unfiltered lyrics, Ohgeesy & Fenix Flexin’ team up for a triumphant homecoming for the group that helped define a generation of underground rap.

Score: 4/5

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FKA twigs – “Eusexua” review

FKA twigs is a 37 year old singer/songwriter & dancer from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom 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, heading into Eusexua maintaining the classic caliber of both it’s predecessors.

The title track produced by Koreless brings together trance, art pop, progressive trance, melodic techno, ambient techno & minimal techno describing a feeling of momentary transcendence whereas “Girl Feels Good” desires men to listen to the passion of women unashamedly displaying the power women hold. “Perfect Stranger” works in elements of 2-Step, dance-pop, Euro house, alt-pop & future garage content with living with some mystery while “Drums of Death” with deconstructed club, UK bass, glitch pop, IDM, alternative R&B & glitch sings about you being her main character in your life.

“Room of Fools” sees her tempt the idea of love against this room of fools dances without a care of the real ongoings of the world while “Sticky” finds herself in the aptly titled kind of situations over & over again in attempts to express herself sexually since deep down she knows it’s a punishing cycle, but yet she can’t let go. “Keep It, Hold It” admits to feeling like wanting to turn the other way sometimes asking what she has to do & so just before the Jeff Bhasker co-produced “Childlike Things” featuring one of my top 10 producers Kanye West’s eldest daughter North West both going where the wild things are & North performing in Japanese better than she did “Bomb” off Vultures 2.

Meanwhile on “Striptease”, we have FKA twigs reaching the encore of Eusexua by singing on top of this angelic trap beat that Dog Show Records founder Dylan Brady of the hyperpop duo 100 gecs helped put together additionally while “24hr Dog” feels herself becoming a so-called full time ‘slave’ for her partner resolving herself as to being a domesticated ‘dog’ for them in addition to their demands & wishes. “Wanderlust” ends the album telling her love to find her even if she is ‘lost’ in the immaterial lusting for the endless voyage that both life & death have to offer.

“The 11” starts the deluxe run describing a method she developed by encouraging conscious action on repeat for the mind & body via spoken word while the vocal trance, dance-pop, hard techno, progressive house, progressive trance, UK hard house & peak time techno single “Perfectly” sings about times things were messy for her yet doing it so well. “The Dare” seems like a cross between Madonna’s late 90s output & Dido knocking at this guy’s door daring him to forgive her & after “Gotta Feel” sings of her desires to be bathed in forgiveness & trust, the final bonus track “Lonely But Exciting Road” opens up regarding her belief of heaven possibly coming her way.

Inspired by a night in the summer of 2022 where FKA twigs found her way outside the city to a warehouse rave where hundreds of strangers were dancing to loud immersive techno, her first album in 6 years is more a love letter to dance music’s emancipating powers due to her channeling through the auteur’s heady, haunting signature style. The production shows influences of electronic dance music, art pop, trance music, dance-pop, alternative R&B, downtempo, deconstructed club, UK bass, glitch pop, IDM, glitch music, 2-Step, Euro house, alt-pop & future garage, progressive trance music, melodic techno, ambient techno & minimal techno providing greater understanding to the term she created herself defined as a state of being.

Score: 4.5/5

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OsamaSon – “Jumpout” review

This is the 3rd full-length studio LP from Charleston, South Carolina up-&-comer 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 this past spring 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 last spring, but he’s now ready to Jumpout after some delays.

“Southside” gets the album rollin’ by talking about everyone being mad at all the racks he’s made in the past year & a half over these synth-horns from Ok whereas the quasi-rage inducing “Fool” celebrates all the wins that he’s continuing to experience. “GTFO Out the Room” tells everyone to clear out proving that he can very much rock out too while “Made Sum Plans” asks his girl to talk to him since he off that drank.

Meanwhile on “Break da News”, we have OsamaSon bombastically flexes that his shooters don’t ever miss leading into “Room 156” maintains the hypertrap vibes to talk about not knowing if you never try to go. The title track produced by gyro reminds everyone that he’s not a new artist since he’s been around for a few years at this point just before “Going Dumbo” talks about going stupid.

“She Needs a Ride” completes the first half of Jumpout boasting himself waking up stoned off that good weed while “New Tune” talks about hittin’ licks dressed up in an outfit that cost him approximately $300K. “Waffle House” stands up for nonbinary rights since his bitch “don’t by no pronouns”, but then “I Got the Fye” shows how turnt up he’s been these days.

The classy trap direction of “Insta” is something that I really found myself enjoying talking about a girl he met on the Meta Platforms-owned Instagram app coinciding with it’s founder Mark Zuckerberg showing us his true shtoile on Monday while “Frontin’” gets back on the rage beats addressing an individual who be cappin’ suggesting they ain’t got shit to hide. “Mufasa” reaches the encore of the LP feelin’ like The Lion King’s antagonist while “Ref” talks about having more stripes on his chest than a referee.

“The Whole World’s Free” captures the artist’s message of liberation & personal empowerment amid the complexities of relationships & material pursuits while “Round of Applause” encourages everyone to pull-up & have fun. “Logo” starts a brief deluxe run talking about being that muhfucka tryna get his stats bigger & the final bonus track “Luv” shows off the hundreds he has in the bank posted up in the 6.

Flex Musix marked a huge breakthrough in OsamaSon’s career & he’s making up for all the pushback 8 months after 3vil Reflection became the best collab EP that he or even Glokk40 have ever cooked up in their careers by decent continuing where he left off on Jumpout. The rage-heavy production isn’t exciting as it was 13 months ago, but Lil O himself takes his intense performances higher.

Score: 3/5

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Cordae – “The Crossroads” review

This is the 3rd full-length studio LP from Suitland, Maryland emcee Cordae formerly of the YBN collective. The first time I heard him was “Old N****s”, an immensely well written response to “1985” off of J. Cole’s 5th album KOD. That single alone earned Cordae a HUGE co-sign from none other than Dr. Dre as well as a deal with Atlantic Records, where he put out a potential showing debut The Lost Boy the following summer right after his 2019 XXL Freshman Class placement. Just Until….. became a solid prelude to From a Bird’s Eye View, which received mixed feedback & Cordae himself even acknowledged it as the weakest entry of his discography. Nearly 3 years later, he’s at The Crossroads.

After the intro, the first song “‘06 Dreamin’” produced by FNZ is a soulful boom bap opener reflecting on a true story that happened when he was only 8 whereas “Back on the Road” featuring Lil Wayne takes the trap route instrumentally to talk about how we simply have to open our eyes. “Summer Drop” featuring Anderson .Paak gets back on a rawer edge courtesy of J. Cole pointing out that they don’t have any other options just before the rich “Nothing’s Promised” reminds that there isn’t anything guaranteed to us.

“Mad as Fuck” brings back the trap vibes expressing his frustration with everyone who isn’t paid enough to beef with him prior to “All Alone” sampling “A House Isn’t a Home” by Luther Vandross talking about feeling lonely even with all the success. “Never See It” fuses soul & trap getting on his pimp shit leading into “Pray” featuring Ty$ on the hook returning to the boom bap thanks to DJ Camper & Hitmaka asking if you’ll stick around once the money goes.

As for “Don’t Walk Away”, we have Cordae on a groovier beat pleading for his girlfriend of 5-years 大坂なおみ not to walk away from him while “Saturday Mornings” featuring Lil Wayne finds BoogzDaBeast flippin’ “I Really Really Love You” by Father’s Children venting over all the problems they’ve been dealing with. “No Bad News” samples “Bad News” by Kanye West thinking about this life of his, but then “Shai Afeni” serves as this open letter to his daughter drawing inspiration from chipmunk soul.

“What Really Matters” mixes trap with chipmunk soul telling listeners to put nothing over family including materialism while “Syrup Sandwiches” featuring Joey Bada$$ goes for an intoxicating atmosphere with the help of Thelonius Martin reflecting on their growth individually. “Now You Know” goes drumless for a tribute to his late grandmother & the bonus track “2 10s” featuring Anderson .Paak ends by showing off both artists’ completely different perspectives that they have when it comes to women making way for J. Cole & Dem Jointz to mix pop rap & jazz rap.

Reaching a turning point in his life, The Crossroads embodies Cordae at being the most refined version of himself as an artist by focusing on his craft & drawing inspiration from life to make sure he was putting his best foot forward. A culmination of decisions, the production’s more consistent than it was nearly 3 years ago & redeems himself from the mixed reception of From a Bird’s Eye View describing a period when every decision felt like the stakes were high for him.

Score: 4/5

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Lil Uzi Vert – “Eternal Atake 2” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & singer Lil Uzi Vert starting November with their 4th LP. Becoming a household name in the trap scene with their 2015 mixtape LUV is Rage & then Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World the following year, Uzi has been entangled with a nasty legal battle with Generation Now Entertainment/Atlantic Records from their debut LUV is Rage 2 until the sophomore effort Eternal Atake came out in March of 2020 to moderate reception & followed it up a week later with the far superior Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World 2 that spawned the deluxe version trend where artists would drop a “deluxe version” of their newest project that’s basically an entirely new album. Red & White was a solid prelude to The Pink Tape which received mixed feedback, so they’re making an Eternal Atake sequel to fulfill their long-standing Generation Now/Atlantic contract.

“We Good” produced by WondaGurl & Cashmere Cat perfectly begins with this booming trap instrumental admitting they’ve been going through a Nitrous addiction much like Ye or the antisemitic Nazi formerly Kanye West did whereas “Light Year (Practice)” works in a rage beat from Brandon Finessin’ of Working on Dying to talk about their love for ratchet bitches including a reference to the great one Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers & Los Angeles Kings. “Meteor Man” samples the theme from the Halo video game series flexing their aura just before “Paars in the Mars” talks sipping wock with a bunch of vocal effects.

Meanwhile on “The Rush”, we have Big Time Rush of all groups joining Uzi for the psychedelic trap vibes so Uzi can pay homage to them getting high feelin’ like he’s flyin’ until “Not an Option” goes into hypertrap territory once again telling everyone to stop saying they don’t got guap. “She Stank” atmospherically explaining why they ain’t wanna fuck this bitch, but then the triumphant “Mr. Chow” flexes the check.

“Lyft ‘Em Up” starts the 2nd half of EA2 runnin’ through shit over a rich trap beat from BryceUnknwn while the bombastic “Chips & Dips” applies further pressure likening their bands to braids referencing AEW’s newest signing Bobby Lashley of The Hurt Syndicate who was also a former 4-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 4-time WWE world champion. “Black Hole” pulls a bit from the drill scene reflecting on the days when they were broke & doing better now while the mellow “Chill Bae” gets in their breakup bag tackling a relationship that feels like a chore at this point.

The final leg kicks off with “Goddard Song” talking about a chick is trying to eat their swag up on top of a nostalgic trap instrumental while the trippy “PerkySex” obviously talked about having sex under the influence of percocets. “Conceited” publicly tells their girlfriend JT of prior City Girls fame that they can’t live without her & “Space High” is the highly anticipated Ebro Darden diss, which I enjoy as a diss down to the Trgc beat & since I’ve said in the past that I’m not a big Ebro fan.

The Pink Tape still very much had it’s highlights & some of Uzi’s best songs regardless of the low points on there like the shitty System of a Down cover. With that being said: Eternal Atake 2 here is basically similar to ¥$’ sophomore effort Vultures 2 except worse. Mike Dean’s mixing/mastering is perfect & Cashmere Cat producing more than half of it was a good call since I got put on him through his early EPs, it’s that Uzi’s addiction to nitrous also known as whippets or galaxy gas is really spiraling out of control. Hope they get the help they need like Ye did, who’s now currently working on his upcoming 11th album Bully in Japan.

Score: 1.5/5

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Fred again.. – “10 Days” review

Fred again.. is a 31 year old producer, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & DJ from 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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Gucci Mane – “G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Trappers)” review

I believe this is the 56th mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia rapper as well as record executive & entrepreneur Gucci Mane. Emerging in the mid-2000s becoming one of the Big 3 pioneers in trap music alongside T.I. & Jeezy, he also has one of if not the largest discography throughout the entire subgenre that continues to grow today. He spent a good bulk of this decade signing acts to 1017 Global putting out a number of showcase compilations that successfully gave these newer cats more exposure. Wop’s previous solo effort Breath of Fresh Air last fall was just a middle-of-the-road double disc experience & is having DJ Drama host the long-awaited G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Trappers).

The title track gets us started by referring to himself as the Greatest Of All Trappers over a bouncy trap instrumental whereas “Rich Niggaz” has a more playful atmosphere to the beat from Zaytoven talking about starting to become rich 18 years ago. “Kicked In” produced by Honorable C.N.O.T.E. energetically explains that you can’t get high without these hoes because they’ll give you herpes leading into “Questions” grittily observing all these broke muhfuckas lookin’ sad out here.

“Leak” humorously talks about a hoe as fine as Kim Kardashian the night before & waking up the next morning lookin’ like Chief Keef without makeup while “Hypocrites” calling out those sayin’ it ain’t about the money on their bullshit knowing good & well that it really is. The sequel to “Making Love to the Money” picks up where The Appeal: Georgia’s Most Wanted highlight left off just before “4 Lifers” triumphantly gets his flowers since Wop gave life to the culture.

Starting the tape’s final leg, “I Told Myself” talks looking like $500M every time you see him over a suspenseful trap instrumental while “1 Thing About It” vibrantly pushes towards the conclusion by getting with some of that paper. “Chanel Bag” featuring JT formerly of the City Girls has an eerier beat looking to maintain each other’s statuses as fly & “TakeDat” ends the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Trappers) with a vicious diss aimed at Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy.

Gucci’s discography is large enough to the point where it’s accepted that he’s gonna have some misses & G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Trappers) easily stands as the most I’ve enjoyed a project from him since Ice Daddy in the summer of 2021 commemorating him becoming a father. There’s obviously much less filler than there was on Breath of Fresh Air, the production has improved & the 1017 founder reassured his status in the trap subgenre.

Score: 3.5/5

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Don Toliver – “Hardstone Psycho” review

Here we have the 4th full-length LP from Houston, Texas rapper & singer/songwriter Don Toliver. Catching my attention in 2018 off his debut mixtape Donny Womack along with being featured on “Can’t Say” off his mentor Travis Scott’s 3rd album ASTROWORLD signing to Cactus Jack Records literally the very next day, his full-length debut Heaven or Hell is a bit underappreciated since it came out when the pandemic started in my opinion & the sophomore effort Life of a Don was solid yet not as good. Lovesick received mixed feedback a year & a half ago although I appreciated that it was more conceptual & had a feeling Hardstone Psycho could reach if not surpass the bar that Heaven or Hell set.

“Kryptonite” is this eclectic choice of an opener from the electric guitar instrumental from Bugz Ronin to the beat drop during the 2nd half explaining that he got what you need whereas “Tore Up” samples “Industry Sets In” by She Died Real Pretty talking about the fast life. “Brother Stone” featuring Kodak Black sees Diplo taking the psychedelic trap vibe instrumentally saying the birds in the trap gon’ stink by tomorrow prior to “Attitude” flipping “Beautiful” by WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg with tresillo-styled drill hi-hats & counter snares thanks to Cash Cobain, redeeming himself from giving us the worst J. Cole feature of all-time on “Grippy”.

Vanguard Music Group in-house producer ReidMD mixes trap, southern hip hop, pop rap, rap rock, rage & experimental hip hop on the lead single “Bandit” couldn’t have been a better choice for a track to begin the LP rollout doing legitimate damage leading into Tommy Parker shooting for a soulful vibe on “Glock” sampling “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” by Whitney Houston talking about letting the hammer off when he come around the block. “Ice Age” featuring Travis Scott with co-production from BNYX of Working on Dying has a trippier trap flare to it comparing themselves to H-Town vet & Ice Age Entertainment founder Mike Jones since these hoes know their numbers, but then the 2-parter “4×4” talks about being back for more.

“Purple Rain” featuring Future feels like it was made during the We Don’t Trust You/We Still Don’t Trust You sessions from the Metro Boomin’ beat that Honorable C.N.O.T.E. & Zaytoven both had an additional hand in to the codeine inspired lyricism that fits better in the context of Hardstone Psycho while “New Drop” talks about falling in love with 2 bitches in the cut over a dance inspired instrumental from Wheezy & Dez Wright. The stripped back “Backstreets” tells the story of a chick that he met last week in the minor street remote from a main road just before “Deep in the Water” fuses new jazz, alternative R&B & trap publicly addressing Kali Uchis’ pregnancy with their son.

Travis returns on the synth/hi-hat crossover “Inside” to start the final quarter of the album Promise Land with him & Don getting romantic with their partners while “5 to 10” up about his love for Harley motorcycles on top of a sample of “Drugs You Should Try It” off his mentor LaFlame’s 2nd & to date final mixtape Days Before Rodeo. “Last Laugh” nears the end of the LP by letting Vendr, Toom & Pilgrim give off the Internet Money Records sound since Vendr’s an in-house producer for the label talking about his success & “Hardstone National Anthem” ends the album with an ode to his new label Hardstone Records.

“Rockstar Girl” starts the deluxe run for a dedication to all the women out there living the rockstar life over synths & hi-hats while “Love is a Drug” has a bit of a psychedelic trap edge to it provided by both Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor boasting about putting his girl straight to sleep like it was melatonin. “Donny Darko” featuring Lil Uzi Vert goes full on rage so both of them can laugh their ways to the bank not giving a fuck what everyone else thinks & the final bonus track “Geeked Up” featuring Yeat gives trap metal a shot talking about being unable to sleep for that specific reason.

Even since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic began the day Heaven or Hell, I had it regarded as his best & the singles that Hardstone Psycho made it seem as if he was going to surpass that debut we got from him over 4 years ago. Lo & behold: He has come into his own artistically & given us what a lot of people including myself thought would be the crown jewel of his discography. We still get the experimentally southern trap/pop rap/alternative R&B stylings of before except he additional treads the waters of new jazz, trap soul, rage, sample drill & rap rock.

Score: 4/5

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Charli XCX – “brat” review

Charli XCX is a 31 year old singer/songwriter from Cambridge, England, United Kingdom who one might remember for her feature on Iggy Azalea’s biggest hit “Fancy” a decade ago. Her solo material would go on to step leaps & bounds beyond hers with highlights including her 3rd & 4th mixtapes #1 Angel & Pop 2 respectively alongside her 4th & 5th LPs Charli & How I’m Feeling Now. Her previous full-length Crash was the last to be released through Asylum Records about 27 months ago & a decent one at that, so I most certainly had high hopes for Charli’s 7th album backed by Atlantic Records.

PC Music co-founder A.G. Cook mixes bubblegum bass, electropop, pop rap, Atlanta bass & dance-pop into 1 on “360” starting us off singing about going her own way whereas “Club Classics” maintains the primary bubblegum bass sound of the opener with additional elements of bassline, new beat, Jersey Club, fidget house & acid house talking about that being all she wants to hear. “Sympathy is a Knife” takes the hyerpop route instrumentally to tackle themes of self-doubt ahead of “I Might Say Something Stupid” singing over bare pianos thanks to Gesaffelstein about being unsure if she belongs here anymore. Former G.O.O.D. Music in-house producer Hudson Mohawke of TNGHT jumps behind the boards for the undeniably catchy electropop jam “Talk Talk” asking for this man to talk to her that is until the electro house, electropop, dance-pop, Dutch house & electroclash-flavored “Von Dutch” later becoming the official theme song for WWE Royal Rumble XXXVIIII assures that it’s ok to simply admit of one’s jealousy/envy of her.

“Everything’s Romantic” continues to go for an EDM vibe for the beat discussing endlessly falling in love prior to “Rewind” goes electropop once more wishing that she could turn back certain moments of her life. “So I” continues the 2nd half of Brat in the form of a profound dedication to Charli’s late collaborator SOPHIE just before “Girl, So Confusing” featuring Lorde on the remix turns the electronic dance music influences back up opening up about the confusion it is to be a woman at points. “Apple” keeps the upbeat grooves going reminding that the apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the tree whatsoever, but then “B2B” futuristically talks about going back to back.

The hyperpop song “Mean Girls” takes inspiration from Dasha Nekrasova exploring societies’ fascination with mean women worshipping Lana Del Rey in her wireless Apple Inc. Bluetooth earbuds AirPods while the penultimate track “I Think About It All the Time” brings a dance-pop flare to the instrumental fearing that she’s running out of time. Finally, the closer “365” ends Brat hypnotically alluding to the never ending cycle of partying. “Hello goodbye” begins the deluxe embarrassing herself in the midst of introducing herself to a potential partner sticking to the PC Music sound while “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish on the remix has that signature electroclash style The Dare is known for expressing Charli’s sexual desires. “Spring breakers” concludes the bonus track run sampling “Everytime” by Britney Spears chockfull of references to the 2012 film of the same name.

Crash was an average way for Charli to fulfill her Asylum contract couple years back & as we enter further into the summer, Brat reveals to be the most aggressive & confrontational yet most vulnerable album in her discography so far. The production is mainly club-centered evoking & channeling the illegal London rave scene through electropop, EDM, bubblegum bass, electro house, dance-pop, electroclash, pop rap, Atlanta bass, bassline, new beat, Jersey Club, fidget house, acid house & hyperpop providing introspection that might come to you in the midst of a party or the insurmountable dread of the morning after.

Score: 4.5/5

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