Rico Nasty – “Anger Management” review

Rico Nasty is a 21 year old rapper from Palmer, Park, Maryland that I first caught wind of last year with the release of her Nasty mixtape, which showcased a unique personality in Rico as well as her eclecticism. However, she’s now teaming up with Kenny Beats to deliver her debut EP.

The EP kicks off with “Cold”, where Rico talks about being the hottest female spitter in the game right now over an industrial beat. The next track “Cheat Code” talks about biters over an abrasive beat while the song “Hatin’” is an ode to boss bitches & I love how they revamp the same sample that JAY-Z & Timbaland used for “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”. The track “Big Titties” with EARTHGANG sees the 3 talking about their lifestyles over a quirky beat & after the “Nasty World” skit, the song “Relative” talks about how Rico’s fame as affected those around her over some somber piano chords & heavy bass. The track “Mood” feels more like a Splurge joint since he takes up a bulk of it while the song “Sellout” talks about loving yourself over a moody trap beat. The EP then finishes with “Again”, where Rico celebrates her success over a spacey trap beat.

Yeah, this is Rico’s best work yet. Her lyricism is sharper & Kenny just goes to show that he’s one of the hottest producers in the game at this very moment.

Score: 4/5

Kodak Black – “Dying to Live” review

Kodak Black is a 21 year old rapper who blew up with the release of his 4th mixtape Lil B.I.G. Pac in 2016. He then landed a spot in the 2016 XXL Freshman Class a few days after & released his debut album Painting Pictures the following year. But now 10 months after the release of his Valentine’s Day tape Heart Break Kodak as well as a series of legal troubles, he’s delivering his sophomore album before the year is done.

The album kicks off with “Testimony”, where Kodak talks about being God-sent over a somber trap beat. The next song “This Forever” talks about his place in the game over a bouncy London on de Track & Leon Thomas III beat while the track “Identity Thief” is an attempt at going hyphy & it surprisingly works pretty well. The song “Gnarly” with Lil Pump is a party anthem with a spacey beat while the track “ZEZE” with Offset is a catchy tropical banger d.a. got that dope produced.

The song “Take 1″ serves as a diss towards 6ix9ine over a gritty trap beat while the track “Moshpit” with Juice WRLD speaks for itself over a blissful trap beat that doesn’t suit the vibe at all. The song “Transgression” talks about being blessed over some keyboards while the track “Malcolm X.X.X.” is a touching dedication to XXXTENTACION over a synth-heavy instrumental. The track “Calling My Spirit” talks about his 3rd eye over an acoustic trap beat from Southside & Jake One while the song “In the Flesh” talks about resurrection over a cloudy beat.

The track “From the Cradle” gets boastful over a beautiful acoustic beat while the song “If I’m Lyin’, I’m Flyin’” talks about fame over a spacey trap beat. The penultimate track “Needing Something” is a piano ballad about inner peace. The album then finishes with “Could’ve Been Different”, where Kodak talks about a deceiving person he knew over a trap beat with some gloomy keys.

I’ve been curious to hear this given the singles & now with the finished product here, I think it’s his best work yet. However, it’s still average at best. I think he can work on trying to sound more coherent, but the production mostly knocks & a handful of the song topics are some of most mature to date.

Score: 3/5

Gucci Mane – “Evil Genius” review

Gucci Mane is a legendary rapper from Atlanta, Georgia known for being one of the 3 trap pioneers shaping the subgenre to what it is today. However, it wasn’t until 2016 when he released from prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon that he would improve both musically & personally. The dude is known for dropping a couple projects a year & as we approach the final month of 2018, he’s delivering his 13th full-length album.

The album kicks off with “Off the Boat”, where Woo recalls his drug dealing days over a nocturnal beat. The track “By Myself” is essentially trap’s answer to KiD CuDi’s “Solo Dolo” while the song “Bipolar” with Quavo sees the 2 talking about how they act with their paychecks over a spacious trap beat from OG Parker. The track “Just Like It” with 21 Savage sees the 2 talking about the drug game over an ominous beat from Honorable C.N.O.T.E. while the song “Cold Shoulder” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again sees the 2 brushing off their haters over a nondescript instrumental.

The track “On God” gets boastful over an apocalyptic beat from Southside while the song “Father’s Day” pretty much acknowledges his status as a trap pioneer over a dark instrumental from Metro Boomin’. The track “Outta Proportion” references WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin backed with prominent hi-hats & faint keyboards. The track “Lost Y’all Minds” with Quavo is a needless sequel to “Bipolar” while the song “I’m Not Goin’” with Kevin Gates sees the 2 going at those who pray on their downfall over a bass-heavy trap beat from Murda Beatz.

The track “Wake Up in the Sky” with Kodak Black is a celebratory anthem with a laidback instrumental from 808 Mafia members DY, Tarentino & Tre Pounds while the song “Solitaire” is a solid introduction to the Glacier Boyz with a video-gamey instrumental. The track “This the Night” charismatically boasts about his wife Keyshia Davis over an atmospheric Southside beat while the song “Mad Russian” with Lil Skies sees the 2 getting flirtatious over a moody Murda Beatz instrumental.

The track “Hard Feelings” addresses all of Wop’s exes over a bland beat while the song “Lord” gives thanks to the higher power over a vibrant beat. The penultimate track “Money Callin'” pretty much speaks for itself over a syrupy yet spacey beat & then the closer “Kept Back” with Lil Pump sees the 2 talking about wanting a boss bitch over a trap beat with some classy keys.

It’s been almost a year since Gucci dropped his last album El Gato: The Human Glacier & now that we finally got the finished product after teasing it since then, the end results are slightly mixed. He still sounds great, but almost half of these cuts sound either unfinished or very plain.

Score: 3/5

Meek Mill – “Championships” review

Meek Mill is a 31 year old rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who started out as a battle rapper & then became a Rick Ross protege at the beginning of the decade. He’s had a series of ups & downs throughout his career from his critically acclaimed Dreamchasers mixtapes to his beef with Drake & an unjustful conviction last November (for which he was freed in April of this year). Meek made his official return to the music scene with his 5th EP Legends of the Summer but as the end of November has approached, he’s coming back with his 4th full-length album.

The intro cut on here ferociously claps back at those who prayed on his downfall over a flawless sample of the classic Phil Collins song “In the Air Tonight” while the next track “Trauma” touches down on racial injustice over an ambitious trap beat. The song “Uptown Vibes” with Fabolous & Anuel AA talks about people who try to steal their waves over a latin-infused beat while the track “On Me” with Cardi B gets raunchy over a generic trap beat. The song “What’s Free?” sees Meek alongside Ross & JAY-Z explaining what freedom is to them over some strings & hi-hats while the track “Respect the Game” is essentially about how becoming rich has impacted him personally over a trap beat with a prominent piano sample.

Future, Roddy Ricch & Young Thug appear for nondescript party anthem “Splash Warning” while the title track talks about beating the system over a jazzy beat. The song “Going Bad” with Drake sees the 2 flexing for old times sake over a bass-heavy keyboard instrumental from Wheezy while the track “Almost Slipped” is an awkward ballad about how he almost fell in love with a hoe. The song “Tic Tac Toe” sees Meek charismatically bragging over a triumphant Tay Keith instrumental while the track “24/7” is a smooth sex anthem with a clever sample of Beyoncé’s “Me, Myself & I” throughout.

“Oodles O’ Noodles Babies” recalls his upbringings over a soulful beat while the track “Pay You Back” with 21 Savage sees the 2 talking about how they have shooters referencing WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger over an apocalyptic Wheezy beat. The song “100 Summers” talks about his mother & his friends over a mellow Hit-Boy instrumental while the track “W.T.S. (With The Shits)” with Melii is a concept joint about this girl frontin’ on him over an instrumental that sounds like it could’ve landed on Lil Pump’s self-titled debut.

The song “Stuck in My Ways” talks about how he’ll always be chasing that paper over a spacious trap beat from Cardo while the penultimate track “Dangerous” with Jeremih originally appeared on Legends of the Summer & it still sounds as corny as it did when I originally heard it back in July. The album then finishes with “Cold Hearted II”, which serves as a fantastic sequel to the closing track off of Meek’s 2015 sophomore album Dreams Worth More Than Money with a sample of “I Was Never There” off of The Weeknd’s latest EP My Dear Melancholy,.

I’ve been a little harsh on Meek’s recent output for the past couple years or so, but I have to be fair & say that Championships has to be the most consistent project I be heard from him in quite a while. Probably his 2nd best album behind Dreams & Nightmares. He’s at his most mature for the good amount of the time on here telling the world about his experiences & issues with social justice, even if there are only a small handful of moments that felt completely unnecessary.

Score: 3.5/5

Young Thug – “On the Rvn” review

Young Thug is a 27 year old trap rapper who started out in 2011, but rose to popularity in 2014 with the release of the track “Stoner”. He has continued to constantly release music since, the most recent project of his being 1st EP “Hear No Evil” back in April & the Slime Language compilation from his 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records last month. However, he’s dropping his 2nd EP in light of his recent arrest for 8 felonies.

The EP begins with the titular track, where Thugger talks about taking out cops over a moody trap beat from longtime collaborator London on da Track. The next song “Icey” of course boasts about the rich life over a bouncy trap beat with a quirky synth lead while the track “Climax” with 6lack is a decent love tune with a BEAUTIFUL instrumental. The song “Sin” is a club banger that gets constantly ruined by the Jaden Smith feature while the penultimate track “Real in My Veins” is a clap-back at his naysayers over a druggy trap beat. The closer “High” with Elton John of all people is a weed anthem with a piano, chilling background vocals & rattling hi-hats.

Even though it’s only 20 minutes, this is definitely an improvement over Slime Language. The first 2 features could’ve been much better & I wish he added 4 or 5 more tracks, but the production is a lot better as & Thugger’s vocal inflections continue to be one of a kind.

Score: 3.5/5

Bhad Bhabie – “15” review

Danielle Bregoli is a 15 year old internet personality that quickly rose into stardom after an appearance she made on Dr. Phil in September of 2016. She then dropped a random “hip hop” song last year called “These Heaux” under the moniker Bhad Bhabie, which eventually landed her a contract with Atlantic Records. Fast forward to present day, she has decided to release her 1st mixtape.

The tape begins with the title track, where Danielle obnoxiously brags using the titular number over a generically eerie trap beat. The next track “Juice” has a sole YG verse with Danielle only handling the hook before & after. The ominous keyboard-inflicted trap beat as well as YG’s performance about clout are just ok, but that’s really it. The song “Gucci Flip Flops” talks about wealth, the somber trap production from 30 Roc & even the Lil Yachty verse pretty much carry it. The track “Affiliated” gets confrontational over a bouncy beat, but Asian Doll sounds a thousand times more animated than Danielle does. The song “Geek’d” gets braggadocious, but the somber trap beat & the charismatic Lil Baby verse make for it.

The track “No More Love” talks about being backstabbed & I actually find it funny that Danielle starts things off by saying she writes her life in these songs, despite the fact that Brittany B. ghostwrote the singles & I presume the rest of the mixtape too. Ghostwriting in hip hop is nothing new AT ALL, but don’t claim to be the sole writer of your material when you’re actually not. The song “Thot Opps (Clout Drop)” talks about staying in your lane over a spacey beat while the track “Yung & Bhad” is a shit-talking anthem, but Danielle sounds more goofy than in your face on both joints. The City Girls feature on the latter is alright, though. The song “Count It” with Jack $hirak is a run of the mill money making anthem while the song “Famous” reflects on the past 2 years. The beat is pretty decent & I have nothing wrong with it’s subject matter, but Danielle’s storytelling on here doesn’t interest me at all.

The song “Hi Bich” has a killer instrumental from Ronny J, it unfortunately goes to waste because it sounds half-written & the hook is tedious. The track “Shhh” is another boring braggadocious tune with a bass-heavy trap beat & the song “Trust Me” is a VERY uncomfortable love tune that I wanna know who was responsible for approving this, because the Ty$ verse could very well be the most embarrassing moment of his entire career. The penultimate track “Bout That” is basically Danielle assuring us that she lives the life that she’s rapping & honest to God: the instrumental sounds very similar to “Shhh”. The tape then finishes with the “Bhad Bhabie Story”, which is a 6 & a half minute diatribe about how people are jealous of her newfound fame over a piano.

There’s not much for me to say about it beyond that, this is truly one of the worst things I’ve heard all year. Almost all of the features sound more serious & captivating than Danielle does, as her personality is absolutely annoying. There are a couple decent instrumentals too but for the most part, it’s dime a dozen.

Score: 0.5/5

Meek Mill – “Legends of the Summer” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & songwriter Meek Mill preluding his 6th album with his 8th EP. Starting out in the battle rap circuit before T.I. briefly signed him to Grand Hustle Records. Once he left, Rick Ross brought him over to Maybach Music Group & we’ve seen a handful of ups & downs in his career over the past decade from the critically acclaimed Dreamchasers mixtape series to his beef with Drake. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison by a corrupt judge, only to be released 5 months later & preluding Championships with Legends of the Summer.

“Millidelphia” begins by triumphantly rapping about over an explosive trap instrumental from Swizz Beatz whereas the next song “Dangerous” featuring Jeremih & PnB Rock wastes some acoustics for cliché pop rap lyricism. The penultimate track “1am” is an energetic club banger with a bouncy instrumental from Jahlil Beats & the closer “Stay Woke” is arguably Meek’s best song I’ve heard in a long time talking about the justice system.

There’s no doubt my mind that Championships has the potential of being Meek Mill’s most mature musical statement & this 4-pack he drops off in preparation for it seems to be heading toward that route. The production’s a little 50/50 & I’m hoping that he’ll get that figured out with in the coming months but in regards to Meek’s own performances, he’s a lot more passionate than he was on Wins & Losses the previous summer.

Score: 3/5

Kevin Gates – “Chained to the City” review

After being released from prison at the beginning of the year, Louisiana rapper Kevin Gates has been laying low ever since. However, he is now officially returning to music out of the blue with a 3-track EP. The first song “Changes” vents about his success as well as his conviction over a gloomy trap beat while the 2nd track “Vouch” is his rags to riches story over a bouncy beat. The EP then finishes with “Let It Sing”, where Kevin gets confrontational over a thunderous beat.

I’ve been waiting for Kevin to make his official return to music & while it isn’t perfect, it goes to show that he’s still one of the best in the trap scene. I wish he added on about 2 more tracks, but the production bangs & he sounds more focused & passionate than ever before

Score: 3.5/5

Janelle Monáe – “Dirty Computer” review

Almost 5 years after delivered her last modern classic The Electric Lady, modern R&B creative genius Janelle Monáe is finally returning with her 3rd full-length album. Things start off with the title track, where she sings about her man picking her up from the ground over some harmonious background vocals. The next song “Crazy, Classic, Life” talks about wanting to live her life over a bouncy atmospheric instrumental while the track “Take a Byte” gets playful over a synth-funk instrumental. After the “Jane’s Dream” skit, we go into the song “Screwed”. Here, Janelle & Zoë Kravitz sing about partying over a spacey yet bouncy beat. The track “Django Jane” is a full-blown rap song about feminism with a moody beat while the song “Pynk” continues these feminists themes with a fantastic interpolation of the classic Aerosmith song “Pink”.

The track “Make Me Feel” talks about bisexuality over a Prince-like instrumental while the song “I Got the Juice” with Pharrell sees the 2 getting freaky over a bouncy beat from Skateboard P himself. The track “I Like That” is basically Janelle addressing the rumors of her sexuality over a luscious trap beat while the song “Don’t Judge Me” expresses concern of her man only loving her for her disguise over a settle instrumental. After the “Stevie’s Dream” interlude, we then go into the penultimate track “So Afraid”. Here, Janelle expresses her fear of loving this man over an acoustic yet druggy instrumental. The album then finishes off with “Americans”, where Janelle gets conscious over a beat that’ll make you wanna dance.

As a whole, this is yet another damn near perfect album from one of the most creative forces in R&B today. The production is beautiful, it’s well written & it sounds immensely focused as ever before

Score: 4.5/5

Nipsey Hu$$le – “Victory Lap” review

Nipsey Hu$$le is a rapper from Slauson, California & this is his long-awaited full-length debut. The album starts off with the title track, where Nipsey talks about where he is now & the Stacy Barthe feature is beautiful. The next song “Rap Niggas” telling us that he’s nothing like these dudes out right now over a gritty instrumental while the track “Last Time I Checc’d” with YG sees the 2 talking about how they’re self made over a g-funk/trap infused beat. The song “Young Nigga” gets braggadocious over a trap beat with some rattling bass & the track “Dedication” with Kendrick Lamar sees the 2 talking about their come ups from the ghettos to the rap game over a bass heavy atmospheric instrumental.

The song “Blue Laces 2” is a welcoming sequel to “Blue Laces” off of Nipsey’s 2010 mixtape The Marathon while the track “Hu$$le & Motivate” pretty speaks for itself over some decent keys. The song “Status Symbol 3” with Buddy is a fun close to the titular trilogy & the track “Succa Proof” is a menacing, unapologetic shot at all the lames out there. The song “Keyz 2 the City 2” isn’t a bad sequel to the original “Keyz 2 the City”, but the TeeFlii feature is probably the weakest one on the entire album.

The track “Grinding All My Life” talks about his work ethic & I like the eerie vibes of the instrumental. The song “Million While You Young” gets luxurious over kick-back beat from Mike & Keys and Jake One while the track “Loaded Bases” is basically about living for the moment over a soulful instrumental. The song “Real Big” talks about his success over an ambitious beat & then the penultimate track “Double Up” with Belly & Dom Kennedy talks about drug dealing over a spacey beat. The album then finishes off with “Right Hand 2 God” reflects on from where he was to where is now & I absolutely love the horns that come around during the hook.

As a whole, this may be Nipsey’s best work yet. The beats bang & it displays where he is right now very well while delivering a few sequels to some of his older songs from his mixtape days. I really hope this gives him the shine he deserves, because it was well worth the long wait

Score: 4/5