Janelle Monáe – “The Age of Pleasure” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Kansas born albeit Atlanta, Georgia based singer/songwriter, rapper & actress Janelle Monáe. Emerging as a member of the Dungeon Family collective signing to Bad Boy Entertainment in 2006, she would properly introduce herself the following the year with her debut EP Metropolis & formed her own Epic Records imprint Wondaland Records shortly after even though. Her classic big commercial debut The ArchAndroid acted as the 2nd & 3rd suites in a 7-part series that Metropolis began, with her sophomore effort The Electric Lady serving as the 4th & 5th suites. Janelle’s last album however Dirty Computer departed from the Cindi Mayweather Metropolis narrative & departed from the psychedelic sounds in favor of pulling from pop, funk, hip hop, R&B & neo soul although there are also some minor elements of electropop, space rock, pop rock, Minneapolis soul, trap, futurepop, new wave, synthpop & Latin music. But 6 years later, she’s looking to reinvent herself once more on The Age of Pleasure.

“Float” is a pop rap/contemporary R&B opener produced by Nate “Rocket Wonder with elements of both trap & dub music celebrating liberation & confidence whereas “Champagne Shit” triumphantly talks about moving your hips. After the repetitively written “Black Sugar Beach” dancehall interlude, Doechii comes into the picture for “Phenomenal” switches gears into afrobeats turf as they discuss feeling exceptional just before “Haute” talks about looking pretty & sexy over some horns.

After the French spoken word “Oooh La La” interlude performed by Grace Jones, “Lipstick Lover” fuses pop reggae & contemporary R&B with some lover’s rock & dancehall undertones admitting that she likes lipstick on her neck leading into “The Rush” featuring Amaarae takes a more atmospheric route with the instrumental talking about their types wanting to feel their legs against their thighs. “Water Slide” following the “French 75” interlude on the other hand is a catchily groovy ballad saying it’s time for her to backstroke.

Meanwhile, “Know Better” featuring CKay brings back the afrobeats discussing that no one does it better than them while the song “Paid in Pleasure” returns to a pop reggae sound talking about keeping it coming if you pay her in happiness. The penultimate track “Only Have 42 Eyes” tackles the fact that she only has eyes for 2” embracing the lover’s rock completely that is until “A Dry End” ends the album with a 2-minute stripped back acoustic joint telling her significant other to whine for her.

Now I wouldn’t put The Age of Pleasure on the same pedestal as her previous albums or her debut EP personally, but that’s not to say I enjoyed the stylistic change of pace that she brings to the table on here. She ditches the art pop influences of the predecessor in favor of pulling from afrobeats, pop reggae, dancehall, pop rap & lover’s rock as she takes on a more Afrofuturist persona celebrating her new era of liberation.

Score: 3.5/5

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Rico Nasty – “A Nasty Summer” review

This is the 2nd EP from Maryland recording artist Rico Nasty. Garnering my attention in 2018 of her 6th mixtape Nasty, I was still very much impressed by her unique personality & her eclecticism although it was just ok. However the next spring, she got Kenny Beats to produce her debut EP Anger Management in it’s entirety & that ended up being my favorite body of work of hers even to this day. Nightmare Vacation was a bit of a step down from Anger Managementeven though it has a good share of bangers like “iPhone” & “10Fo”, but Las Ruinas showed a more experimental side to her & is preluding her sophomore effort in the form of A Nasty Summer.

“Turn It Up” is an aggressive trap opener produced by 100 gecs about never paying attention to a hatin’ ass hoe while the sped-up version of “Pussy Poppin’ (I Don’t Really Talk Like This)” is completely pointless & that’s coming from someone who considers the original to be another Nightmare Vacation highlight. The song “Dirty” gives off a more dissonant vibe talking about how her man likes everything while the penultimate track “Countin’ Up” finds Kenny Beats drawing inspiration from The Neptunes with the instrumental airing out bitches on her dick. “Big Titties” featuring EARTHGANG though closes the EP by rambunctiously talking about seeing their dreams vividly with co-production from Baauer.

Although not as good as Anger Management, I will say that A Nasty Summer is definitely still worth the listen for anyone who enjoys Rico’s music as much as I do. Only a couple redundant cuts throughout the 11 minute run, but the other 3 are more than enough to make up for it considering that 100 gecs & Kenny both bring the best out of her in their own uniquely distinctive ways. It’s really enough to make me keep my fingers crossed that we’re in for her strongest full-length.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jack Harlow – “Jackman” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from Louisville, Kentucky recording artist, producer & actor Jack Harlow. Breaking through when the pandemic started off the single “What’s Poppin’?”, this resulted in DJ Drama & Don Cannon signing him to their Atlantic Records imprint Generation Now Entertainment as well as them putting out a mediocre full-length debut with That’s What They All Say that same winter & who could forget the arduous listen of a sophomore effort Come Home the Kids Miss You last spring? However, hearing that he dropped Jackman out of the blue over the weekend was in fact surprising & thought it’d be more introspective given that the titular is his real first name.

“Common Ground” opens the album with a string-heavy instrumental compellingly tackling the divide & arrogance between white-suburban children & black children raised in poorer neighborhoods to my surprise referencing Microsoft 365 whereas “They Don’t Love It” works in a peppy beat talking about how no one is cut from the same thread as him when there are more skilled lyricists out there right now that you’re better off listening to. “Ambitious” looks back at his life in the last decade with a soul sample throughout that is until “Is That Ight?” talks about being minimalistic & grateful over a piano instrumental.

The settle vocal loop & claps throughout “Gang Gang Gang” enhance the atmosphere as Jack addresses his relationships with shitty people just before “Denver” making it clear that so many losing hope in those dreams with a jangly sample flip from FNZ. “No Enhancers” has one of the strongest beats on the record courtesy of DJ Dahi even though the lyrics about all natural women seem forced while the playfully produced “It Can’t Be” obnoxiously tries to put a finger on why he gets shits whether it be the color of his skin or the swag he has. The penultimate track “Blame on Me” samples “Blame” by Gray Hawken thanks to Boi-1da opening up about his upbringing & “Questions” soothingly ties it all up pondering all these questions in his mind.

Given the fact that Jack Harlow’s output in the past has been mediocre at best & unlistenable at worst, a lot of people including myself weren’t expecting much going into Jackman. But surprisingly, it could very well be his most impressive body of work to date even though I still come away from it torn. The subject matter is more personal & the production isn’t as tepid, but the album’s biggest cardinal sin is the amount of corny bars throughout although I appreciate him trying to be more lyrical.

Score: 3/5

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Don Toliver – “Lovesick” review

Don Toliver is a 28 year old rapper from Houston, Texas who caught my attention in 2018 off his debut mixtape Donny Womack along with being featured on “Can’t Say” off his mentor Travis Scott’s last album ASTROWORLD & signed to Cactus Jack Records literally the very next day. Fast forward a year & a half later right when the COVID-19 pandemic started, his full-length debut Heaven or Hell is a bit underappreciated in my opinion & the sophomore effort Life of a Don was solid yet not as good. However, I was still looking forward to Lovesick considering the singles.

“Love Sickness” is a seductive opener produced by Cardo singing about his obsession with his new girl whereas “Let Her Go” works in some synthesizers, a rubbery bass-line & some hi-hats from James Blake & Dez Wright asking if he makes her feel special. Glorilla & Lil Durk come into the picture for the Rodeo inspired 2-parter “Leave the Club” encouraging all the baddies to buss it prior to “4 Me” blending alternative R&B with pop rap & dancehall thanks to Wheezy talking about his lover being the only woman he needs. Also as a longtime Neptunes mark, Kali Uchis killed it with the “Girls Dem Sugar” interpolation.

However with “Go Down”, we have Don over some spacious trap production from Hit-Boy sampling the TisaKorean cut “Backseat” asking his girl if they can fuck in the backseat of his whip just before “Time Heals All” has a shimmery quality to the beat that Allen Ritter brings to the table as he talks about wanting to see how his girl works the pole. “Leather Coat” is another 2-parter with a guitar driven trap instrumental feeling like she can’t hear him leading into the irresistibly catchy “Honeymoon” embracing synth-funk with the help of KAYTRANADA talking about how he can love her & hate her at the same time.

Cardo’s entrancing production throughout “Private Landing” is really impressive as Future & surprisingly Justin Bieber in one of his best performances I’ve heard in a while personally both hop on board to confess that they feel stuck while the cloudy “Slow Motion” expressing the desire for his girl who just wants to go dancing to tell him what she’s hoping. “Do It Right” is a pop rap/alternative R&B hybrid with some future bass undertones co-produced by Boi-1da encouraging to go back to his girl’s place, but then “If I Had” is a remarkable R&B duet with Uncle Charlie Wilson that DJ Dahi laced about keeping the love forever.

The final leg of the album begins with the 3rd installment of the “Company” trilogy wondering how she feels inside over a twangy trap beat while the song “Bus Stop” with Brent Faiyaz is a peppier vibe with Hit-Boy on the boards once again to tell his girl how much he needs & wants her to fall in love with no issues as Brent dedicates his verse to all his bitches in the drop top. The penultimate track “Cinderella” has a synth-based instrumental from Ronny J calling this a love letter & “Encouragement” is a wavy send off to the album detailing a way he’s never felt before.

“No Pole” psychedelically starts the deluxe run with Cardo & DJ Fresh linking up addressing a woman that simply don’t wanna strip anymore while “Embarrassed” featuring Travis Scott reunites the pair for melodic trap joint boasting about their sexual encounters with women, expensive jewelry & drug usage. “Geronimo” ethereally calls out everyone who hates him now always being nonbelievers from servin’ white & molly caps to sharing the stage with Justin Bieber & the final bonus track “Luckily I’m Having” featuring Teezo Touchdown throws it back to the 80s talking about women wanting to have fun like Cyndi Lauper.

Some people consider Life of a Don to be a sophomore slump even though I myself enjoyed it albeit not as much as Heaven or Hell, but Lovesick is unquestionably the most average body of work he’s offered the world so far. It’s most certainly the most conceptual we’ve ever heard him on the lyrical front & the production catering to the futuristic R&B/soul kind of sound that he was shooting for.

Score: 3/5

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Lil Uzi Vert – “Red + White” review

Lil Uzi Vert is a 26 year old rapper & singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that became a household name in the trap scene with their 2015 mixtape LUV is Rage & then Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World the following year. Since the release of their 2017 debut album LUV is Rage 2, Uzi has been entangled with a nasty legal battle with Generation Now Entertainment/Atlantic Records until 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. But after dropping a bunch of singles on SoundCloud thought the past week, Uzi is warming everyone up for The Pink Tape by dropping their 3rd EP.

“Space Cadet” is an pluggy opener produced by Brandon Finessin’ of Working on Dying that’s a bit all over the place if I’m being honest with Uzi talking about not being used to stallin’ & used to cake whereas “I Know” taking a cloudier route thanks to Sonny Digital being aware of what their lover is really like referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson. “Flex Up” reunites with Maaly Raw for a mellow trap banger talking about being the next & best one, but then “Hittin’ My Shoulder” has a more abstract approach thanks to Dun Deal calling out people on their fake love & biters.

Meanwhile on “For Fun”, we have Uzi over an airy instrumental taking about counting ranks solely for his pleasure leading into the vibrant “Believe Me” continuing to brag lyrically. The song “Issa Hit” shoots for a more abrasive aesthetic thanks to Oogie Mane asking if it’s lit just before the penultimate track “Glock in My Purse” advises to look at it like a bag with DJ Mustard providing a synth-heavy sound. “Final Fantasy” on the other end finishes the EP with a rage beat bragging that they have the strategy.

It’s been over a little over 2 years since we last heard from Uzi on their own & for them to give us Red + White in advance, I think it’ll definitely hold us over until The Pink Tape whenever it comes out. It sounds laser-focused & I appreciate that production experiments with the plugg/hypertrap sounds that’ve been becoming more popular in recent memory.

Score: 3.5/5

Roddy Ricch – “The Big 3” review

Roddy Ricch is a 23 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Compton, California who came up in the fall of 2017 off his debut mixtape Feed tha Streets. He would follow it up with a sequel almost a year later & signed to Atlantic Records shortly after, who put out his full-length debut Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial the year after that to moderate reception. His sophomore effort Live Live Fast came out this past winter & even though a lot of people found it to be a disappointment, I personally consider it to be his best work yet. So given that, I was curious to hear this debut EP of his ahead of his upcoming 3rd mixtape Feed tha Streets III.

“Real Talk” is a solid introduction to the EP with it’s twangy trap production from DJ Mustard on top of Roddy’s lyricism touching on loyalty & brotherhood, but the penultimate track “Tootsie’s” has to easily be my least favorite of the 3 with it’s nondescript instrumental & bland braggadocio. I do however find “No Mop” to be a sensual conclusion from the misty trap beat from London on da Track to Roddy’s raunchy pen-game.

I know I’m in the minority for liking Live Life Fast more than most people, but I really hope Feed tha Streets III is better than The Big 3 because it’s an average appetizer before the main course. You got a great way to start it off, but then you get a miss & a mid closer. Hopefully the tape will be a moment of redemption for Roddy.

Score: 3/5

Jack Harlow – “Come Home the Kids Miss You” review

Jack Harlow is a 24 year old rapper & songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky who broke through when the pandemic started off the single “What’s Poppin’?”. This resulted in DJ Drama & Don Cannon signing him to their Atlantic Records imprint Generation Now Entertainment as well as them putting out his full-length debut That’s What They All Say that same winter, which was pretty mediocre in my opinion. However, I still went into this sophomore effort of his with an open mind given some of the features that were revealed earlier this week.

“Talk of the Town” kicks off the album with a sample of “No No No” by Destiny’s Child so Jack can speak on coming a long way from Bardstown whereas “Young Harleezy” is a generic trap cut with braggadocious lyrics. “I’d Do Anything to Make You Smile” follows it up with a corny romance ballad produced by Boi-1da & Rogét Chahayed, but then “1st Class” is no better as he pretty much bastardizes the classic single “Glamorous” by Fergie & Ludacris.

Meanwhile on “Dua Lipa”, we have Jack simping over the titular singer accompanied by a bland trap beat FNZ made just before “Side Piece” butchers “Beautiful” by Snoop Dogg talking about wanting to bring DeJ Loaf home to meet his family. “Movie Star” is one of the better cuts on the album thanks to Pharrell’s bassy instrumental & his verse at the back end declaring themselves as such, but then “Lil Secret” gets back to the tepid lovey dovey bullshit even though the GoldLink sample is impressive.

“I Got a Shot” is such a pathetic attempt at him hitting on any bitch he wants over a tropical beat while “Churchill Downs” has a more skeletal approach talking about where he’s at now & Drake just phones his verse the fuck in down to the cringy Pusha T jabs. “Like a Blade of Grass” shoots for a moodier vibe with uneventful storytelling about a woman he met in the dark & “Parent Trap” picks it up with cold trap production from Timbaland talking about his lover holding him down.

The song “Poison” with Lil Wayne sees the 2 comparing their significant others to such over a cloudy trap instrumental that Leon Thomas III co-produced sampling “Mrs. Officer” while the penultimate track “Nail Tech” is a decently victorious ballad about the “king” if you can even call him that being back in his hometown. “State Fair” on the other end closes out the album with some hi-hats & a mellow atmosphere reflecting on fame.

What else do y’all want me to say beyond that? I still don’t see what’s so appealing about Jack because this album to me is even worse than That’s What They All Say was. Not that I have anything against pop rap since I’ve made that clear as day if you look at some of my past reviews in the subgenre, but Jack’s performances/songwriting are primarily mediocre mixing that with some decent features & annoying production.

Score: 1.5/5

Cordae – “From a Bird’s Eye View” review

Cordae is 23 year old MC from Suitland, Maryland that came up as a member of the YBN collective just a few years ago. He first came on my radar with “Old N****s”, an immensely well written response to “1985”, which was one of the better tracks that J. Cole’s 5th album K.O.D. had to offer. 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. But after dropping a prelude EP Just Until….. over the spring, Cordae’s finally back with his 2nd full-length.

After the “Shiloh’s Intro”, the first song “Jean Michel” sets it off with a rich boom bap instrumental & Cordae providing listeners with introspection whereas ”Super” has a soulful trap vibe boasting his success. “Momma’s Hood” has a more woozier vibe to it talking about driving down his mother’s old stomping grounds in a Jeep just before “Want From Me” goes into a more psychedelic direction with the help of Dem Jointz & Jake One asking this girl what more does she want from him. Meanwhile on “Today”, we have a unique trap beat from Kid Culture as none other than Gunna tags along with Cordae to talk about grinding & dismissing bullshit leading into “Shiloh’s Interlude”.

Following that, “C Carter” instrumentally has a west coast feel to it reminding listeners that he’s arrived & then Lil Wayne comes in for the Hit-Boy produced “Sinister” going at anyone who chooses to go bar-to-bar against them. Boi-1da takes it into acoustic trap territory for the H.E.R./Lil Durk-assisted “Chronicles” talking about not being sure where their hearts are headed while “Champagne Glasses” with Freddie Gibbs finds them on top of a spacious beat detailing conversations being complicated these days.

The song “Westlake High” works in a soul sample apologizing for his mistakes as well as shouting out his loved ones while the penultimate track “Parables” finds him & Eminem talking about on top of a twangy boom bap instrumental from Cardiak. “Gifted” with Roddy Ricch then ends the album with the 2 going back & forth with each other telling the world how blessed both of them are over a moody Bongo instrumental.

Compared to The Lost Boy, I think From a Bird’s Eye View happens to be a slightly better yet very much enjoyable follow-up. His production choices have gotten better & lyrically, it seems to me that he’s detailing a lot more of his life than he did 2 & a half years back.

Score: 3.5/5

Roddy Ricch – “Live Life Fast” review

This is the highly anticipated sophomore album from Compton, California rapper Roddy Ricch. Coming up in the fall of 2017 off his debut mixtape Feed tha Streets, he would follow it up with a sequel almost a year later & signed to Atlantic Records shortly after. His full-length debut Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial was a significant improvement over this early tapes & with the 2-year anniversary of that album passing by a couple weeks ago, Roddy is finally following it up with Live Life Fast.

After the titular intro, the first song “thailand” starts off the album excellently with a bassy instrumental from Southside & some catchy braggadocio whereas “all good” follows it up with a zestful Ronny J beat as well as Future tagging along to talk about everything being straight. “rollercoastin’” to me seems like a blatant Young Thug ripoff that goes over horribly, but then “hibachi” seems out of place since Roddy barely has any presence on it only handling the hook. Even though Kodak Black’s verse at the start is just vapid, 21 Savage manages to go off at the backend of it & I also like Wheezy’s twangy production.

Meanwhile on “paid my dues”, we have Roddy & Takeoff impressively going back & forth with each other on top of a spacious Boi-1da instrumental about earning everything they got just before “crash the party” follows it up with some keyboards & hi-hats pondering if this woman really loves him. “no way” follows it up by talking about how he can’t trust an ungrateful bitch on top of a tranquil Cardo beat & after the “slow it down” interlude, “man made” is a fantastic piano ballad about being proud of himself.

“murda 1” with Fivio Foreign has a more cloudier approach to it with the help of Kenny Beats as the 2 compliment each other well spitting that gangsta shit while “everything you need” comes off as a boring attempt at a moody, lovey dovey ballad. Lil Baby comes into the picture for “moved to miami” proclaiming themselves as champs with TM88 having the best instrumental on the album without question, but I can’t say the same for “don’t i” even though Roddy & Gunna both kill their verses.

After the “bibi’s interlude”, the song “more than a trend” reveals itself as a half baked attempt at being flirtatious down to the skeletal beat while the penultimate track “late at night” takes another jab at it except it’s MUCH much better from the DJ Mustard beat to the songwriting. “$25M” finishes it all off with a cavernous banger produced by Tarentino reflecting on a vow he made when he was younger to make more bread.

For the 2 year wait, I’d say Live Life Fast very much lived up to the hype & I’ll even go as far to say that it’s Roddy’s most impressive body of work yet. It’s more well-produced compared to his previous material & I appreciate that he’s showing a more vulnerable side to him lyrically

Score: 3.5/5

Silk Sonic – “An Evening with Silk Sonic” review

Silk Sonic is a newly formed superduo consisting of Anderson .Paak & Bruno Mars. The latter coming up in 2010 by dominating the pop charts & the other beginning to turn heads by being featured all over his mentor Dr. Dre’ final album to date Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre about 5 years later. Their paths first crossed with one another during the European leg of the 24K Magic World Tour where .Paak opened up for Bruno but after announcing the superduo’s full-length debut back in February to high anticipation, they’re finally unleashing it to the world.

After the funky intro, the first song “Leave the Door Open” kicks off the album with a smooth soul banger telling their lovers they’re there for them whereas “Fly as Me” takes a funkier route & the lyrics basically speak for itself. “After Last Night” is a slow jam professing their love for the women they slept with the previous evening just before “Smokin’ Out the Window” works in some Philly soul undertones talking about a woman who belongs to everyone getting into fights with her man like it’s the Endeavor Group Holdings-owned UFC.

Meanwhile on “Put on a Smile”, we have .Paak & Bruno coming together over some strings encouraging listeners to look forward to the better days while the song “777” serves as a groovy pimp anthem. The penultimate track “Skate” is a straight up disco tune flirting with the hottest bitches in the room & finally, “Blast Off” finishes the album off on a glossier note talking about flying to the stars.

Man I knew Silk Sonic was gonna deliver on this album, but they went even harder than I expected them to because An Evening with Silk Sonic is unquestionably the best R&B album that I’ve heard all year. They have a uniquely natural chemistry & it’s amazing how they resurrected the sounds of the 70’s soul down to Bootsy Collins “hosting” it.

Score: 4.5/5