Don Toliver – “Life of a Don” review

This is the sophomore album from Houston, Texas rapper & singer/songwriter Don Toliver. Emerging in 2018 after quietly signing to Cactus Jack Records & Atlantic Records, his name truly wouldn’t be first known to the masses until he out his debut mixtape Donny Womack & then being featured on “Can’t Say” off his mentor Travis Scott’s latest album at the time ASTROWORLD 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 revealed himself as the most talented that Cactus Jack has to offer. But now that he started hitting the road again very recently, Don is dropping Life of a Don in the midst of it.

“Xscape” starts it off with a horn-infused R&B cut produced by DJ Chase B & Mike Dean about needing the love to keep his woman whereas “5X” almost has a bit of a West Coast feeling from the Cardo instrumental with Don detailing how fine this stripper is. “Way Bigger” gets boastful with the help of a psychedelic Sonny Digital beat leading into the woozy “Flocky Flocky” with Travis Scott talking about their blessings.

Meanwhile on “What You Need”, we have Don on top of a cloudy Hit-Boy instrumental saying he’ll do anything for his bitch just before “Double Standards” works in a Three 6 sample opening up about how it’s hard to be human. “Swangin’ on Westheimer” has some slick production from Metro Boomin’ getting charismatic, but then “Drugs n Hella Melodies” nocturnally pays homage to the 2 things he loves the most.

“2AM” hazily gets in his late night lust bag while “Get Throwed” works in some keyboards with the help of Murda Beatz & DJ Mustard talking about a rich hoe. “Company, Pt. 2” is an incredibly fun sequel to one of my favorites off Heaven or Hell whereas “Outerspace” with Baby Keem is an exhilarating 2-parter getting flirtatious.

On the other hand, HVN & SoFaygo tag along for “Smoke” for an entrancing party anthem while the song “You” finds Travis returning to playfully talk about what comes with their bitches. The penultimate track “Crossfaded” is a mind-altering ode to smoking weed & getting drunk but lastly, “Bogus” ends the album with a more glossier note saying he don’t go for bullshit.

Heaven or Hell was one of the most underrated albums of last year & for a follow-up, I think fans are gonna like Life of a Don just as much or possibly even more than the debut. The lyrics are bit more personal this time around & the lack of features throughout kinda exemplifies that in a sense.

Score: 3.5/5

Meek Mill – “Expensive Pain” review

Meek Mill is a 34 year old MC & songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who started out in the battle circuit before T.I. briefly signed him to Grand Hustle Records. Once he left, Rick Ross brought him over to Maybach Music Group & has continued to make himself at home over there to this day. Throughout the last decade, we’ve seen a handful of ups & downs in his career. The critically acclaimed Dreamchasers mixtape series, his beef with Drake & who could forget where he was sentenced to 6 years in prison by a corrupt judge only to be released 5 months later? Meek’s last album Championships was seen as his most mature body of work yet despite being a tad bit bloated but after 3 years of singles & EPs, he’s finally following it up with his 5th full-length album.

“Hate on Me” kicks things off with Cardo sampling the Nas joint “Hate Me Now” as well as Meek going at his detractors whereas “Outside (100 MPH)” gets boastful over a more darker instrumental with a bassy switch up during the final verse. “On My Soul” contains a sumptuous Fuse beat with Meek talking about getting everything leading into Lil Baby & Lil Durk going back & forth with him on top of a Bulgarian sample for “Sharing Locations”. The title track has a moodier sound talking about the shit he went through with this money just before “Ride for You” serves as a boring attempt at a lovey dovey radio hit.

“Me (Fuckin’ With Me)” has a skeletal Boi-1da instrumental as Meek & A$AP Ferg saying no one’s on their level, but then Moneybagg Yo tags along for the uneventfully-produced “Hot” bragging about being those dudes. “Love Train” has a more lush sound to it with Meek venting about people switching on him while “Northside Southside” with Giggs murkily gets on their gang shit.

“We Slide” with Young Thug emotionally opens up on the struggles throughout their lives with a perfectly suiting piano instrumental from Tay Keith whereas “Tweaking” almost has a boom bap flare to it saying he’s too rich to pay hoes referencing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. I think it’s pretty cool how “Love Money” works in some guitars talking about how he doesn’t love the paper anymore & “Blue Notes 2” with Lil Uzi Vert serves as an average sequel to the Dreamchasers 4 cut of the same name.

“Angels” is an emotional tribute to the late Lil Snupe just before finishing off the “Cold Hearted” trilogy with the hazy “Cold Hearted III”. The penultimate track “Halo” despite it’s nondescript production opens up about knowing too many angels & the 30 Roc-produced “Flamerz Flow” ends the album with a hungry freestyle.

As much of a fiery comeback Championships was, I didn’t really expect much from Expensive Pain given that most of the singles were mid. Lo & behold: That mediocrity carries it’s way onto the album. You got barely more than half of it being straight up bangers & the rest is just completely forgettable.

Score: 3/5

Gucci Mane – “Ice Daddy” review

This is the 15th full-length album from Atlanta, Georgia’s very own Gucci Mane. Emerging in the mid-2000s, he would go on to receive legend status for being one of the Big 3 pioneers in trap music alongside T.I. & Jeezy as well as having one of if not the largest discography throughout the entire subgenre that continues to grow today. He spent a good bulk of last year revamping 1017 Global, signing a bunch of acts (the most notable one being Pooh Shiesty) & putting out a couple showcase compilations that successfully gave these newer cats more exposure. But after having a kid with his wife Keyshia almost 6 months ago, Wizzop is officially returning by dropping Ice Daddy.

The opener “Poppin’” incorporates some piano & strings as Gucci is pretty much showcasing 1017’s newest signee BigWalkDog while the Mike WiLL Made-It produced “Posse on Bouldercrest” with Pooh Shiesty is a dope lil homage to the classic Sir Mix-a-Lot joint “Posse on Broadway”. I love the ominousness that 30 Roc provides for “Shit Crazy”, but the Big30 feature is so wack. Luckily we have Pooh Shiesty reappearing on “Like 34 & 8” to make up for it.

Richie Souf & Southside work in a flute for Wop to get in his drug dealer bag with “D-Boy Style” whereas the Lil Baby-assisted “Trap Shit” speaks on how everything they put on wax is official backed by a lavish Zaytoven instrumental. On “I Got It”, we have Lil Uzi Vert accompanying Gucci for a moody slow jam attempt & the energetic “Rich N***a Shit” needs no further explanation.

Meanwhile on the piano-inflicted “Top of Shit”, we have 2 Chainz tagging along to address their longevity just before E-40 fills in for the organ-laced paper anthem “Never Runnin’ Out of Money”. Then we have Project Pat helping Wop go back on the pusher tip for the synthy, bass-heavy “Fold Dat Money Up” leading up to the bloodthirsty “Gucci Coming for You” featuring these gun-cocking sounds in the production.

d.a. got that dope whips up a more somber sound for the boastful “Invoices” just before Gucci & PeeWee Longway start a bonfire on the rowdy “Live at the Red Carpet”. The song “Bust Down” is a nice throwback to dirty south strip club bangers while the penultimate track “Lately” is a spookily-produced confession about fake motherfuckers. The album then ends with “How I See It”, where Wop jumps on a rubbery instrumental to speak how he views things.

It’s been pretty clear that Father’s Day is approaching this weekend & Ice Daddy to me is a dope way for Gucci to celebrate. He sounds focused & charismatic on the mic once more with Mike WiLL, Zay & Southside helping to bring the best out of him as they usually do.

Score: 3.5/5

Cordae – “Just Until….” review

This is the debut EP from North Carolina emcee Cordae. Emerging in 2014 as a member of the now defunct YBN collective, the 23 year old released a total of 3 mixtapes under his original moniker Entendre before catching mainstream attention 4 years later by dropping the J. Cole response “Old N****s”. After landing a spot in the 2019 XXL Freshman Class, the kid continued to turn heads by dropping a potential-filled debut album The Lost Boy & is returning after 2 years with a 4-track prelude to his sophomore effort.

“More Life” is a funky, boom bap opener produced by Q-Tip as Cordae proclaims life being an antidote while the next song “Dream in Color” talks about his boldest dreams over some vocal harmonizing hanging behind him from Terrace Martin & Raphael Saadiq. Young Thug hops on the Take a Daytrip-laced “Wassup” for a flashy party starter & then the EP rounds out with “Thornton Street”, which returns to that boom bap sound as Cordae recalls his childhood.

I know he said on Twitter that none of these joints will appear on the upcoming album, but it has me excited for it nonetheless. With his artistry continuing to grow at a rate like this, I geniunely think his potential is being fully realized & he could possibly top The Lost Boy.

Score: 3.5/5

Big Scarr – “Big Grim Reaper” review

Big Scarr is a 21 year old rapper from Memphis, Tennessee that broke out in 2019 off his debut single “Make a Play”. This would catch the attention of Atlanta trap pioneer Gucci Mane, who signed Scarr to his revived Atlantic Records imprint 1017 Global last year. The kid has gone on to release 6 singles since being taken under Wop’s wing & with the commercial success of Pooh Shiesty’s debut tape Shiesty Season that came out a couple months back, Scarr is next up at bat.

“Grim Reaper” is a to-the-point opener as Scarr hops on some sinister piano melodies & hi-hats to spit about being a murder, but then the next song “Get It In” is a violin-heavy follow-up about being a young legend. “Poppin’” is a doomy ode to his newfound fame whereas the braggadocio-induced “Frozone” goes into a more wintry direction sonically.

The track “Ballin’ in LA” links up with Gucci Mane & Pooh Shiesty to deliver a dark yet infectious dedication to the sunshine state while “Joe Dirt” goes into a more uptempo direction beat-wide as the lyrics detail going from the apartments to the mansion. “SoIcyBoyz3” re-enlists Shiesty & Wop alongside Foogiano to send a warning to their detractors over a glistening Tay Keith instrumental & the Baby K-featured “No Ball” literally has nothing going for it other than the Middle Eastern-inspired production.

Scarr returns to a more darker sound on the track “Don’t Stop” as he raps about beef, but then “IDL” showcases a cool lil chemistry between him & Enchanting as they paint an oxymoronic love story. The woefully produced “Pay Me” details being crossed so many times & on the contrary, “Traphouse” is a stern look-back on his days before rapping.

Meanwhile on “I Would Keep Goin’”, we have have Big Scarr detailing how heartless he is in a petrifying fashion referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級王座, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle before he & Gucci Mane detail how they live life on the Zaytoven-produced “In Color”. The track “From the Jump” details about his greatness over a plentiful instrumental & the tape ends with the first 2 installments of the “SoIcyBoyz” series. The first one is kinda underwhelming & the 2nd one is much more improved.

Even though I came away from Big Grim Reaper with mixed feelings, I’m still very much looking forward to hearing what Big Scarr has to offer. The overall sound is middle-of-the-road, but I’m not gonna deny the ambition in his voice throughout a good bulk of the tape.

Score: 2.5/5

YBN Nahmir – “Visionland” review

YBN Nahmir is a 21 year old rapper from Birmingham, Alabama most notable for being the de facto leader of the now defunct YBN collective. We all know Cordae has proven to be the most successful member of the crew given how well The Lost Boy & it wasn’t until earlier this month that Almighty Jay dropped his painfully boring debut EP Battling My Spirit. However, Nahmir is the last one stepping to plate & is dropping his long-delayed debut album.

“Still (Family)” is actually a good way to kick off the album as Nahmir speaks on doing this rap shit for his family with a guitar & harmonious vocal harmonies backing him. However, the next song “Regardless” sounds like he’s vocally riffing for 2 minutes despite the tranquilizing trap beat whereas the rowdy “Politics” links up with DaBoii & G Herbo to take shots at people talking shit on the internet. The “Opp Stoppa” remix with 21 Savage is better than the original, even though it’s weird how Nahmir puts the OG version of it as the closer later on.

“Get It Crackin’” samples “Chaos” by TekraBeats as Nahmir goes on about nothing & then “Fast Car Music (Stain)” serves as a half-baked ode to Lamborghinis. The track “Prison” is pretty much a 2-minute, abrasive self-defense anthem & then “Lamb Truck” is an underwritten cut about wetting up those who cross him with an aquatic beat. The twangy, bass-heavy “Fast Car Ending” is another short & off-the-cuff freestyle that could’ve easily been left on the cutting room floor, but then “Wake Up” goes into a more orchestral direction as he talks about getting his dick sucked in the morning.

“Belgium” is a 2-minute diatribe about how Nahmir been “thuggin’ since a youngin’” over a skeletal piano instrumental while the cumbersomely-produced “Make a Wish” literally says in the hook that he’ll kill the children of his enemies. The electronic-tinged “Homework” opens up about the snakes in his life & even though the classy instrumental on “Streets” is ok, it once again sounds like a barely written song. The soul/trap fusion “WooWAM” goes on about wanting bitches at his mansion, but then “Soul Train” is even worse with it’s funk-influenced production & the gross lyrics about giving his girl everything.

The rubbery, Hitmaka-produced “2-Seater” with G-Eazy & Offset continues to go on about their love for luxury cars over a rubbery instrumental from Hitmaka while “Ca$hland” is a money anthem with a hyphy beat along as well as stellar features from E-40 & Too $hort. The final song on the album (excluding the original “Opp Stoppa” like I mentioned earlier) “Over Now” is a touching sequel to the opening cut.

I said it in my review for Battling My Spirit a few weeks ago & I’ll say it again right now: this is just another reminder that Cordae carried the whole YBN crew. I’ll even say this is even worse than the latest Almighty Jay EP. It didn’t need to be 20 tracks long, the songwriting is vapid, his performances don’t have any “oomph” to them & the production is uneventful.

Score: 1/5

YBN Almighty Jay – “Battling My Spirit” review

YBN Almighty Jay is a 21 year old rapper from Houston, Texas who came up as a founding member of the now defunct YBN collective. Dude has dropped a handful of singles in the span of 6 years & has now whipped up a 20 minute EP as his first official project.

The opener “Get Rich in the Hood” talks about going out like Suge before going out like Pac over an acoustic guitar & a dizzying backdrop whereas the next track “Big Check” shows off his wealth over a drab beat. The song “Murder in My Eyes” talks about how all his homies balling over an instrumental trying to rip off the aesthetics of Travis Scott’s previous album ASTROWORLD while the title track is easily the best off the entire EP, as Jay confesses that he looks at his family different & the dejecting tone of the beat is perfect.

The song “Drank Sealed” talks about going from a futon to a mansion over a guitar & some hi-hats while the track “Bring Out the Hoochies” is a mediocre attempt at making a strip club anthem. The song “Shoutout to My Dentist” talks about being flashy over a buoyant instrumental & then the closer “Red Light Special” talks about not having time for affairs over a syrupy beat.

Other than the title track, I hardly got anything out of this EP at the end of the day & I really don’t see what makes YBN Almighty Jay an appealing artist. His songwriting is insipid, the flows are pretty basic & the production is incredibly generic.

Score: 1/5

Pooh Shiesty – “Slime Season” review

Pooh Shiesty is a 21 year old rapper from Memphis, Tennessee who broke out just last year off his viral single “Main Slime”. This resulted in Gucci Mane signing him to his Atlantic Records imprint 1017 Global & after multiple appearances on the label’s recent showcase compilations, he’s now being granted a full-length debut.

The intro talks about seeing through fake shit over an icy trap beat whereas the next song “Back in Blood” with Lil Durk finds the 2 talking about murder over an instrumental with some foreboding piano melodies. The track “Guard Up” talks about fucking up anyone in his way over an acoustic guitar along with some rubbery bass while the song “Ugly” with Gucci Mane sees the duo talking about how everyone with them is thuggin’ over a trap beat with some distressing keyboards.

The track “Neighbors” with Big30 finds the 2 talking about being real g’s over a wintry instrumental while the song “50 Shots” talks about getting it in at the trap over an elegiac beat. The track “No Chorus” talks about death over a pessimistic instrumental while the song “Box of Churches” with 21 Savage sees the duo talking about bringing the smoke to ‘em over a spectral beat.

The track “Making a Mess” with Big30 & Veeze finds the trio talking about romance & guns over a bassy instrumental with this horn section occasionally popping in & out while the song “Choppa Way” talks about staying the same despite being rich now over an ominous beat. The track “Take a Life” with Foogiano sees the 2 talking about how people don’t know what it’s like to kill someone over an instrumental with a prominent woodwind sample while the song “Gone MIA” talks about all the pussies out there over a triumphant beat.

The track “Big 13 Gang” with Choppa Wop & Lil Hank finds the 3 talking about being a threat over a cinematic instrumental while the song “Drop Some Shit” talks about trying to make it out before he gets locked up over a cloudy beat. The track “See Red” talks about blood being around him over a trap/rock fusion while the song “Master P” compares himself to the No Limit mogul of the same name over a heady beat from Tay Keith. The album ends with the strip club anthem “Twerksum”, which originally appeared on the So Icy Gang compilation back in October.

Of all the recent 1017 signings, Pooh Shiesty has stood out to me the most. However, this album is just decent at best. He has a great presence on the mic & his songwriting is definitely ear-grabbing, but the production is just middle of the road & most of the features kinda weigh it down.

Score: 3/5

Lil Skies – “Unbothered” review

Lil Skies is a 22 year old rapper from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania who came onto my radar in 2018 off his 4th mixtape Life of a Dark Rose. This was followed up the next year with his full-length debut Shelby & with the 2 year anniversary of that album approaching in a couple of months, Lil Skies is celebrating by dropping a sophomore effort.

The album kicks off with “Fade Away”, where Skies spends his time impersonating ΠΔV for God knows what reason & even the beat is generic as Hell. The next song “Take 5” talks about having real money over a nondescript instrumental while the track “Excite Me” with Wiz Khalifa sees the 2 talking about freaky hoes over a euphoric beat. The song “Havin’ My Way” with Lil Durk finds the 2 talking about flexin’ & stuntin’ over an acoustic trap instrumental we’ve heard a million times already while the track “OK” proclaims himself as a big boss over a paranormal beat from Buddah Bless.

The song “Dead Broke” talks about a woman he had to let go over a rubbery beat while the track “On Sight” talks about having 30 shooters over a bland beat. The song “Think Deep Don’t Sink” talks about being iced out over a cavernous instrumental while the track “Red Wine & JoDeCi” talks about a manipulative ex over a skeletal beat.

The song “Locked Up” talks about being that dude over another acoustic/trap flavored instrumental while the track “Trust Nobody” talks about the fear of being set up over a dull beat. The song “Riot” compares himself to Freddy Krueger over a hyphy instrumental while the penultimate track “Sky High” talks about the love he has for this woman over an atmospheric beat from Danny Wolf. The album ends with “Mhmmm”, where Lil Skies talks about a down bad thotty over a T-Minus instrumental that almost has a Middle Eastern flare to it.

Outside of a couple flashes in the pan, I personally didn’t get that much enjoyment out of this album. Lil Skies’ music continues to decline further as the lyrics are vapid, the flows are subpar, the production is dime a dozen for a good majority of the time.

Score: 1.5/5

Rico Nasty – “Nightmare Vacation” review

This is the long awaited full-length debut album from Maryland’s very own Rico Nasty. Coming onto my radar a couple years ago off her Nasty mixtape, I was pretty impressed by her unique personality & her eclecticism. The last project Rico had put out prior was a phenomenal EP produced entirely by Kenny Beats last April titled Anger Management but as this turbulent year draws to a close, it’s only right for her to finally drop Nightmare Vacation.

The opener “Candy” talks about never changing the way she acts over a bombastic instrumental whereas the next song “Don’t Like Me” with Gucci Mane sees the 2 talking about haters referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a cloudy beat from Buddah Bless. The track “Check Me Out” gets boastful over a piano & some hi-hats while song “iPhone” talks about relationships over a hyper pop instrumental from Dylan Brady.

“STFU” continues to brag over a blobby instrumental from Take a Daytrip while the song “Back & Forth” with Aminé finds the 2 showing off their chemistry with one another over a flute-tinged trap beat. The track “Girl Scouts” talks about pulling up with a chopper over a ghostly instrumental & a WWE reference while the song “Let It Out” vents all of her frustrations over a trap metal beat from 100 gecs.

The track “Losers” with Trippie Redd sees the 2 talking about those trying to fit in over an uptempo instrumental from Brandon Finessin’ while the song “No Debate” talks about how to make a bitch lose it. The track “Pussy Poppin’” gets raunchy over a quirky instrumental while the song “OHFR?” talks about not giving a fuck over an industrial-sounding beat.

“10 Fo” talks about leaving the last behind over a trap instrumental from F1LTHY of Working on Dying with a horn buried in the mix while the song “Own It” advises listeners to own up to themselves for everything over a rubbery beat. The penultimate track is a terrible remix to the Kenny Beats-produced “Smack a Bitch” & then the closer is actually the original “Smack a Bitch”, which I think is a brutal Asian Doll diss.

Coming away from this album, my feelings towards it are mixed at the end of the day. I commend Rico for being one of the most exciting performers in hip hop today & that absolutely applies here, but the production is just so hit or miss.

Score: 3/5