Bishop Nehru – “Now or Never” review

This is the self-produced 4th studio LP from New York emcee/producer Bishop Nehru. Starting out dropping a couple beat tapes before emerging in the underground off the solid debut mixtape Nehruvia, he profile would only begin to increase in 2014 by signing to Mass Appeal Records & form the duo NehruvianDOOM alongside the late MF DOOM & putting out an overlooked self-titled effort together that same fall. Bishy would leave Mass Appeal a couple years later to drop 2 full-lengths Elevators & My Disregarded Thoughts on his own, both of which I look at as some of the best shit he’s ever done. He would also drop 7 EPs & 5 more mixtapes, the most recent of the 2 being Kult Life: From Pain to Paintings. He found Solace in Shadows in November & has returned 4 months later with Now or Never.

The synth-driven trap instrumental on “Back Around” caught me off guard at first although I quickly came appreciate the subject matter of him still having his piece of mind & warning to stay if you go against the grain whereas “Cash Rules” significantly experiments with sample drill chopping up “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” by the almighty Wu-Tang Clan referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 5-time WWE world champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Kevin Nash.

“Chocolate Pain” flips the viral Tay Zonday hit “Chocolate Rain” laughing at those who thought he’d fall off while “Couldn’t Get By” samples “Wouldn’t Get Far” by The Game featuring & produced by Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West to talk about trying to get what’s his. “Face Down” offers more of a quirky trap vibe promising you’ll be ignored if you keep fucking with him just before “Figured It Out” hooks up some 808s talking about finding peace.

Moving on from there, “Front!” brings the sample drill influences back sampling the iconic Pharrell single “Frontin’” featuring JAY-Z so he can keep it blood with a chick who wants to front on him leading into “Glory” talking about trying to become highly renown. “Henny Black” feels more rage-inducing discussing his life being what he imagined it being & “How Many?” was a great Valentine’s Day theme trap single.

“Nothing to Lose” switches it up with what I consider to be a little bit of a summertime ode with it’s sample heavy sound sticking to the script while “OOTC” focuses on trying to make more paper & get his mind right simultaneously. “Stuck in the Dark” closes Now or Never with a cloudy trap beat talking about everyone not imagining that he would take it as far as he has & him continuing to raise the bar through versatility.

Bishy Chulo has always stood out for his range & if you think you’re gonna get the same boom bap production that was primarily on Solace in Shadows, you might be disappointed. He gives sample drill a shot giving respect to songs I grew up listening to since we’re the same age, prominently keeping it in trap territory with hints of both cloud rap & rage to significantly lesser extents.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bishop Nehru – “Solace in Shadows” review

New York emcee/producer Bishop Nehru self-producing his 3rd LP. Starting out dropping a couple beat tapes before emerging in the underground off the solid debut mixtape Nehruvia, he profile would only begin to increase in 2014 by signing to Mass Appeal Records & form the duo NehruvianDOOM alongside the late MF DOOM & putting out an overlooked self-titled effort together that same fall. Bishy would leave Mass Appeal a couple years later to drop 2 full-lengths Elevators & My Disregarded Thoughts on his own, both of which I look at as some of the best shit he’s ever done. He would also drop 7 EPs & 5 more mixtapes, the most recent being Kult Life: From Pain to Paintings. To start November though, Nehru’s finding Solace in Shadows.

“Seeking Solace” is a heavy sample-driven opener talking about Bishy Chulo searching for comfort whereas “I Don’t Know” soulfully promises to make everything all his despite if he doesn’t know if the vision’s seen. “Been So Cold” takes the boom bap route instrumentally flexing how long he’s been in the game killing shit leading into “Defying Odds” keeping the kicks & snares in tact making it to the stages after days in the hallways.

Meanwhile on “Vanilla Frosting”, we have Nehru sampling a woodwind taking a break from the mic for 135 seconds so he demonstrate his sampling skills flipping a prominent woodwind prior to the “Breaking the Rules” talking about tryna take it to the next level over a bagpipe & later the hardcore “Rap Leonardo da Vinci (So Please)” flexing his artistry. “I Don’t Care” boasts him taking the unclear road, but then the crooning “Good Thing I Know” promises you won’t come back if you cross him.

“Mr. Pessimistic” starts the encore of Solace in Shadows admitting that life’s been crazier than a Tesla in the fast lane while the orchestral boom bap hybrid “Look Within” telling you how you can change outside. “Mind over Matters” takes it further down the basement explaining the only thing that really matters while “All in the Plan” soulfully reassures that this God’s plan. “The Best Me” ends by talking about giving y’all the best version of himself.

I did enjoy the first entry of the Kult Life series of EP & several months later, Bishop has outdone himself by putting out an album that lives up to both of it’s predecessors. The production that he cooked up all by himself is a step above the previously mentioned EP that we got from him early into 2024 & conceptually, he’s taking us through the experiences of him finding comfort within the shadows.

Score: 4/5

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Bishop Nehru – “Kult Life: From Pain to Paintings” review

This is the 7th EP from New York emcee/producer Bishop Nehru. Starting out dropping a couple beat tapes before emerging in the underground off the solid debut mixtape Nehruvia, he profile would only begin to increase in 2014 by signing to Mass Appeal Records & form the duo NehruvianDOOM alongside the late MF DOOM & putting out an overlooked self-titled effort together that same fall. Bishy would leave Mass Appeal a couple years later to drop 2 full-lengths Elevators & My Disregarded Thoughts on his own, both of which I look at as some of the best shit he’s ever done. He would also drop 6 EPs & 5 more mixtapes but coming off the Mysteries of Initiation EP last fall, Nehru’s beginning the Kult Life series by going From Pain to Paintings.

“Rise” is a cavernous trap opener talking about being unable to focus on healing & going from the hero to the villain whereas “Through It All” shifts into sample-heavy boom bap territory setting out to let everyone hear what this gift he has is. “Hold It Down” works in more kicks & snares promising the world when it turns around, but then “Keep It a Bean” soulfully shows the difference between real & fake.

The sequel to “Abandoned” starting the 2nd half is cool since that was a favorite of mine off Heroin Addiction going for a Flying Lotus vibe kinda while “Forever” hooks up a vocal flip & hi-hats talking about being good for life. “Devil in New York” returns to the boom bap detailing his encounters with Satan in his neck of the woods that is until the cloudy “Fears” concludes the EP by confronting all that he’s afraid of.

Regardless of Chulo or more recently 4 the Noners from a couple weeks ago being recent examples of how hit or miss Nehru’s discography has become over time, From Pain to Paintings is a solid beginning to the Kult Life series & I’m curious to hear the future installments. Dioni$ gets a chance to show his influences as a producer & Bishy breaks down more personal subject matter.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bishop Nehru – “Heroin Addiction” review

Bishop Nehru is a 25 year old MC/producer from Nanuet, New York who started out dropping a couple beat tapes before emerging in the underground off the solid debut mixtape Nehruvia. His profile would only begin to increase in 2014 by signing to Mass Appeal Records & form the duo NehruvianDOOM alongside the late MF DOOM, putting out an overlooked self-titled effort together that same fall. Bishy would leave Mass Appeal a couple years later to drop 2 full-lengths Elevators & My Disregarded Thoughts on his own, both of which I look at as some of the best shit he’s ever done. However for this 3rd album of his, Kelz Scott has decided to base it around his experience with trying heroin.

“HELLo” opens up the album by ominously welcoming listeners to a land of corruption whereas the title track cavernously talking about being at the highest trying to escape. “The First Hit” takes a more hazier approach proclaiming that he’s losing his shit leading into “Sun Showers” talking about being prepared for the rain outside over a minimal instrumental with a soft vocal sample throughout that I actually find to be a nice addition to it.

Meanwhile on “World of the Gods”, we have Bishy seeing through the façades on top of a shrilling beat just before “TheScornEmperor” mixes some keys & synths to attack his detractors. “Can You Feel My Soul?” has a twangier vibe talking about how amazing it is once you start to heal the spirit while the song “Abandoned” goes full-blown trap expressing his desire to advance & not be deserted. The penultimate track “Is It Okay If I Wanna Die?” takes a turn into cloudier territory opening up about his thoughts of suicide & “Goodbye.” closes out the album well with it’s forlorn instrumental & Bishy bidding farewell due to how he’s feeling inside.

Ever since this album was announced, Bishop has been accused of doing it all for the clout which is ridiculous considering that he’s always had elements of conscious hip hop throughout his career. That being said, solid tape. I wish some cuts were a little longer, but whole idea of Heroin Addiction is well conceived & I appreciate how much his production game has evolved in the last decade.

Score: 3.5/5