B-Movie Millionaires – “It Made Sense at the Time” review

United Kingdom hip hop duo the B-Movie Millionaires consisting of Manchester, England emcee Black Josh alongside Runcorn, Cheshire emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott are back top drop a sophomore effort. Known for being members of the Cult of the Damned collective, these guys would make their eponymous debut in 2015 with an extended play & had Sam Zircon fully produce their 2018 full-length debut Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space. Damn near a decade later, It Made Sense at the Time has come months succeeding its original announcement.

“ICL” produced by King Kashmere has somewhat of a lo-fi boom bap vibe instrumentally opens up with them talking about answering to no one whereas “LAA” brings Spectacular Diagnostics behind the boards for a cavernous hardcore hip hop track waking up the block with the bass blarin’ their systems. “SOZ” combines a flute with kicks & snares so both Josh & Lee can keep spitting lyrical venom leading into “HEX” featuring Sly Moon talking about staying 10 steps ahead of the rest.

As for “MED”, we have the Millionaires over a mellow Lee Scott beat explaining their music to be medicinal rather than merely dope just before “316” featuring Nickelus F morbidly boasts about them being lyrical juggernauts. “REX” featuring Quelle Chris declares themselves kings of the apocalypse over a piano-driven instrumental to get the 2nd half going while the woodwind-infused “KEV” talks about their wishes of caring more than they do.

“SOL” featuring Granuja & Mir Nicolas gets bilingual over an unsettlingly fuzzy beat while “BAR” references 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair. “SMH” continues the hardcore penmanship but once “HIM” featuring BeTheGun jazzily talks about being those dudes, “TTO” featuring Bill Shakes as well as King Grubb & Sly Moon wraps up It Made Sense at the Time with a Cult posse cut.

A lot has happened to Black Josh & Lee Scott since Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space came out 8 years ago, so It Made Sense at the Time certainly lives up to it’s name considering the fact Spectacular Diagnostics handled a great bulk of the production coming fresh off the Cult of the Damned’s 4th album Simony this past spring. The B-Movie Millionaires’ chemistry doesn’t lose any steam & I appreciate them increasing the number of guest appearances.

Score: 4/5

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Cult of the Damned – “Simony” review

England, United Kingdom collective the Cult of the Damned comprised of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews reuniting for their 4th studio LP. Introducing themselves as a unit over a decade ago off an eponymous debut EP, a sequel would come in the form of their full-length debut Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate & the sophomore effort The Church Of mostly produced by Nobodies Home was more rawer sonically. Almost 4 years since Cultgangrapsh!t however, they’re reforming to release Simony.

“Ext. Car Park – Night” was the perfect lead single to mark the Cult’s comeback having everyone spitting hardcore verses over a boom bap instrumental for 5 minutes whereas “Deet” by the B-Movie Millionaires alongside King Grubb & Stinkin’ Slumrok angrily talking about having chaos in their arteries. Tony Broke gets his own solo track with “Medicine Man” hopefully teasing a follow-up to Broke as F$£k leading into “Capital £” by Sly Moon, Sniff & the Super Sag Bros talking about needing more money.

To end the 1st half, “Creekin’” ominously reunites the B-Movie Millionaires alongside Sly Moon so they can admit that something doesn’t feel right to either of them while “Covenant” goes for a more somber boom bap vibe suggesting that people might actually learn a thing or 2 from them if they lean to shut the fuck up. “Sapnin” continues the 2nd leg of the album on some luxuriously dusty shit talking about liking their money, women & beats dirty.

“& Then Some” takes the jazzier route instrumentally reminding everyone of the reputation they’ve had for the past 11 years & cautioning any competitor who wants to step up to them in a battle to fall back but “The Next Move” grittily talks about looking outside of the window plotting the succeeding phase of their plan, “Slum Lawds” takes up the last few moments expressing views that come straight outta the back book than the bible.

I’m not totally sure if we’re still getting Cultgangrapsh!t 2 at some point down the road but either way, the Cult of the Damned are finally back 4 years after Milkavelli got ousted for scamming fans with an album that I’d say rivals Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate & The Church Of respectively. The production Spectacular Diagnostics cooks up is heavier on the boom bap side of things stylistically compared to their last one with some jazzy undertones & they sound overjoyed for this new era of their career.

Score: 4/5

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Black Josh – “YSL Bootleg” review

This is the 8th studio LP from Manchester, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Black Josh. Known for being a member of the Cult of the Damned & LEVELZ collectives as well as 1/2 of the B-Movie Millionaires & the Super Sag Bros, he would make debut over a decade ago off an eponymous EP & the full-length debut Blick Flair’s Ape Mountain until signing to Blah Records. He went on to drop 6 more albums & 3 EPs under the London label, coming off Today’s the Day a couple years earlier with YSL Bootleg.

“Aw, Here It Goes” by the B-Movie Millionaires starts with them trading verses with each other over a Lee Scott beat fusing g-funk & boom bap whereas “CBA” co-produced by Sumgii talks about refusing to be assed when he tries hard replacing the g-funk elements with hints of cloud rap. “Flu Game” featuring Sly Moon maintains the boom bap vibes speaking of feeling themselves when they’re not exactly feeling themselves while “Drink Champs” featuring Stinkin’ Slumrok shouts out the mishaps making money.

King Grubb appears on the sinisterly dusty “Gutter” talking about good things coming to those who pull the weight just before “Mossy Tree” luxuriously talks about being ready whenever shit pops off, calling back to one of my all-time favorite Cypress Hill tracks. “Council Pop” featuring Sly Moon finds the 2 lyrically going back-&-forth with each other just before “Garfield” heads for a lo-fi direction instrumentally talking his bars wrapping his doubters up in a weed joint to light up, reserving the last 55 seconds for a jazzy synthesizer breakdown.

“Who’s on What” begins the final act hopping over a psychedelic boom bap beat talking about partying until the sun rises while the cavernously hardcore “Don Julio” likens himself to playing the role of a villain in a theatrical film & dismissing rappers who aren’t on Blah’s level of lyricism. “Yes, Man” featuring Sniff has this uncanny boom bap tone talking about getting whatever it is they ask while the closer “Tiger Blood” by the Super Sag Bros drumlessly makes a reference to Charlie Sheen’s infamous 2011 meltdown except they’re drinking Hennessy instead of a tiger’s actual blood.

The only complaint I have regarding YSL Bootleg was it being marketed as an extended play when it’s a dozen tracks & over a half hour long but nonetheless, I’d have to put it behind Yung Sweg Lawd when it comes down to the greatest entry in Black Josh’s solo discography. Lee Scott’s production here captures Josh’s versatility better than Today’s the Day since it largely stuck to 1 unified sound & the latter sharpens his skills after opening for Danny Brown during the UK leg of the Quaranta tour for this next chapter of a career spanning over an entire decade.

Score: 4/5

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Black Josh – “Today’s the Day” review

Here we have the 4th EP from Manchester, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Black Josh. Known for being a member the Cult of the Damned & LEVELZ collectives as well as 1/2 of the B-Movie Millionaires, he would make debut over a decade ago off an eponymous EP & the full-length debut Blick Flair’s Ape Mountain until signing to Blah Records. He went on to drop 6 more albums & a couple more EPs under the London label, celebrating Friday the 13th in no better fashion than Today’s the Day.

“Habitat” was a dark, occasionally crooning boom bap intro coming out the gate with unapologetically hardcore penmanship whereas “Doolally” works in an organ sample mixed with kicks & snares talking about driving people crazy. The title track dustily finds himself ready to catch up to the money & the paper chase while “Vince Carter” featuring Da$h references none other then the greatest Toronto Raptors player of all-time himself over a symphonic boom bap beat.

Sonnyjim joins the B-Movie Millionaires on “E R M8” continuing the last leg of Today’s the Day bringing all 3 artists together hauntingly leaving heads spinning harder than The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s intro & after “Close to the Edge” maintains a boom bap vibe instrumentally talking about him feeling like he’s on the verge of slipping homaging the late DMX in the midst of it, we get hit with a soul sample & Josh letting the people he has in mind know he’ll “Pray” for them.

I wouldn’t put it above Smoking Kills regarding the extended plays in Black Josh’s discography, but Today’s the Day is definitely the most I’ve enjoyed a solo project from him since Mannyfornia. Rather than continuing to delve deeper into some of the most vulnerable material throughout Josh’s career much like Heartbreak Hostel did, the latter’s wordplay & the grimier production are enough to please any hardcore hip hop fan.

Score: 3.5/5

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Cult of the Damned – “Cultgangrapsh!t” review

Here we have the 3rd studio LP from England, United Kingdom collective the Cult of the Damned comprised of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Introducing themselves as a unit in 2015 off an eponymous debut EP, a sequel would come in the form of their full-length debut Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate & the sophomore effort The Church Of mostly produced by Nobodies Home was more rawer sonically. However, they’re returning to have Drae da Skimask solely produce Cultgangrapsh!t.

“SCOTTY2COMFY” by Bisk, Lee Scott & Sniff was a psychedelic boom bap intro talking about fathering MCs & breaking boundaries whereas “PUSSY2” by Bisk, Black Josh & Sniff featuring Jack Danz hooks up a piano sample mixed with kicks & snares so they can explain that you can’t be the greatest & a bitch. “FU” by the Antiheroes & Sly Moon eeriely brings the trio together over more key-driven boom bap instrumental for a hardcore hip hop track dismissing the need of a hook leading into “Belly” by Bisk & Black Josh featuring Jehst talking about life being a mess & controlling it all the way.

Stinkin’ Slumrok gets a solo joint of his own on the psychedelically raw “SLUMMY” looking to keep it going until the daylight comes prior to “JIM BEAM” by BeTheGun & Sly Moon going for a lo-fi boom bap vibe speaking of walking down the street & talking in their sleep at night. “DINOSAURFOOD” by Bisk & Black Josh jazzily finds the pair discussing less being more unless you’re short on the drawer while “Highlighted” lets Black Josh hold the fort for 113 seconds talking about having women on his mind over prominent vibraphone flip.

“Coffee, Pt. 2” by Bisk, King Grubb & Lee Scott nears the conclusion of Cultgangrapsh!t with a sequel to a standout off Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Gang Crew Syndicate making it known that there ain’t nobody like them while “Free Tony” by Bill Shakes, Lee Scott & Tony Broke references UFC middleweight Nick Diaz. “Kosher” by Bisk & the Super Sag Bros finishes the album with all 3 of them talking about stealing women & only seeing greatness whenever shutting their eyes at night.

Since its title implies that we could a sequel or 2, this inaugural entry of the Cultgangrapsh!t series could by the weakest of the 3 full-lengths that the Cult of the Damned have given us in almost a decade. That said: I still enjoy it, just not as much as their previous material collectively. Drae da Skimask’s production suits their whole style & Reklews’ engineering, but it kinda feels like a compilation considering the lack of moments where there are 5 members or more appearing simultaneously. I’d also like to hear Reklews & Sam Zircon returning to produce a Cultgangrapsh!t 2whenever the time’s right.

Score: 3.5/5

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Black Josh & Milkavelli – “Swegasus” review

Runcorn, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom veteran Lee Scott solely producing Manchester emcee Black Josh & London emcee Milkavelli’s collaborative studio LP. The latter of whom was a member of the Children of the Damned & the other joined its succeeding collective the Cult of the Damned. So considering the intertwining history both of these guys have with the Blah Records founder comprising 1/2 as the B-Movie Millionaires & the Mcabre Brothers respectively, I can understand the intention behind Swegasus.

“Fisher Price” opens up with a boom bap instrumental assuming life’s a joke until we all die from laughter whereas “La La La” mellowly references Jamiroquai’s 3rd album Traveling Without Moving containing their biggest hit “Virtual Insanity”. Anyway, the song “Doin’ Bits” continues from there dippin’ to the crib in a whip that eventually flipped just before “Sherbert” dustily reaches the halfway point talking about being 6 feet in their graves with weed in their papers.

Meanwhile on “Golden”, we have Josh & Milk flowing on top of a boom bap beat with synths talking about things being far from over for either one of them musically leading into “Proper” shifts towards a west coast vibe a bit boasting their lyrical proficiency combined. “Take a Chance” shows off Lee Scott’s ear for sampling to talk about life being a fat joke other than keeping their heads to see the sun in the clouds & “Die to This” wraps up Swegasus sends it off with a boom bap outro.

Blah Records would unfortunately drop Milkavelli only months after Swegasus came out when it was revealed he was scamming fans, making Swegasus the last time the prominent UK hip hop label would release anything that had his creative input. It’s a shame too because not only did he & Black Josh really had someone beginning to develop in terms of abstract chemistry, but Lee Scott’s lo-fi boom bap production was the most suiting musical soundscape conceivable.

Score: 3.5/5

Cult of the Damned – “The Church Of” review

The Cult of the Damned are a hip hop collective from England, United Kingdom consisting of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Properly introducing themselves as a unit in 2015 off an eponymous debut EP, a sequel would come in the form of their full-length debut Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate & are getting back together for a sophomore effort.

“Ahem!” begins with this 5 minute posse cut asking over a guitar-driven boom bap instrumental from Nobodies Home if anyone listening has been picking this important signal whereas “Internal Error” talks about being the modern day No Limit Records & everyone else being their children. CLBRKS joins the Cult on “Worship” referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 14-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & WWE’s current COO Triple H. just before “WTH” finds the B-Movie Millionaires with BeTheGun & Milkavelli talking about them being sick in the head.

BeTheGun brings Sly Moon & Stinkin’ Slumrok besides him on the mic during the piano boom bap crossover “Rotation” realizing the has-beens they used to kick it with amounted up to nothing leading into “Norman’s Theme” talking about them being averagely normal as they come. “AB NO (Red Leicester)” dismantling little league MCs who want to battle them knowing they wouldn’t stand a chance while “W.Y.T.B. (What You Talkin’ ‘Bout?)” ends the 1st half with the Cult posing that very question to people flapping their lips.

“Gung Foo” hits us with another posse cut to start the 3rd quarter continuing to spit battle raps over a boom bap beat while “Skid Row” hilariously disses an adversary claiming to be all the knowledge when they don’t know a damn thing about them at all. “Step” featuring Danny Lover has a bit of a cloudier tone instrumentally talking about their need of succeeding & rewriting the whole game plan while “Good News” featuring Bang On! grittily obliterates rappers with basic penmanship.

To get The Church Of’s last leg going, “Castles” talks about being better off staying inside & smoking weed because of their bent-up whips while “Rear View” fuses jazz rap & boom bap so they can speak of seeing things a lot more clearer than they did previously. “Henny Shots” comes through with a 2-parter where the entire squad’s having a toast & “Brick Pelican’s Lament” finishes by having King Grubb holding down the outro for a solo track of his own.

Diminishing the grime undertones of Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate significantly, the 2nd album from the Children of the Damned’s spiritual successor takes themselves beyond their self-titled EP & their previously mentioned debut for a great follow-up to the Cult of the Damned’s early output. The boom bap production’s darker than Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate’s, the inclusion of outside guest appearances was only a matter of time & every member’s verses remind me of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan in that they’re all unique swordsmen of their own category.

Score: 4/5

Black Josh – “Yung Sweg Lawd” review

Manchester, England, United Kingdom emcee Black Josh of the Cult of the Damned & LEVELZ collectives as well as the duo B-Movie Millionaires returning for his 5th studio LP. Making his full-length debut Brick Flair’s Ape Mountain following an eponymous debut extended play, the sophomore effort albeit Blah Records debut #blahblahblahblackjosh alongside the Blosh & Pete Cannon-produced Smoking Kills EP would all succeed it. Coming off the Ape Tape & his last full-length Brexit however, Joshi£’s clearing up why they call him the Yung Sweg Lawd.

“Round Ere” begins with a blaring boom bap instrumental suggesting not to spend all one’s time around his neck of the woods since people there aren’t really living their lives whereas “925” produced by Reklews references WWE chairman, CEO, self-booked WWE Champion & ECW World Heavyweight Champion Vince McMahon along with the company’s primary flagship program Monday Night RAW right out the gate basically making comparisons to that of dayjobs.

The title track has Josh talking about trust issues resulting in him no longer having a relationship with certain people over another boom bap beat leading into “Bad Omens” dustily discussing the idea of ghosting negative spirits in one’s life. “This is It” featuring Truthos Mufasa & Yussuf Maleem finds the trio coming together to discuss doing this shit for the Cult just before “Cult Sag 2” featuring the Mcabre Brothers funny enough hits us with a Lee Scott & Sly Moon-laced sequel to a #blahblahblahblackjosh highlight.

“Judge Judy” featuring Nah Eeto brings a psychedelic flare to the table talking about the only woman who can save them while “Dem Ways” wraps up the 1st leg of Yung Sweg Lawd instrumentally shooting for a mellower boom bap vibe explaining him hustling & achieving because his struggle was deep. “Thinkin’” hooks up some sampling so he tackle relationship struggles while “Own Tings” by the B-Movie Millionaires featuring Jesse James Solomon & Sniff talks about the independent grind all 4 of them uniquely possess.

Pitch 92 gets behind the boards during “1000 on Red” featuring Milkavelli getting fed up of being fed up while the mediocre trap cut “What I Need” talks about this woman being what he wants. “2 Fone Shawty” makes up for it from Reklews’ beat to the lyrics about female who has 2 cell phones while “R Kid” featuring Con M1 & Sangy shrugs off what people say regarding them. “Linguine Limbs” featuring Milkavelli reunites 1 last time for a passable cloud rap joint while the closer “Ciggaweed” includes a reference to WWE Hall of Famer Mr. T over a Skepta beat.

#blahblahblahblackjosh & the Ape Tape were both seen has significant improvements above Black Josh’s earlier output, but the Yung Sweg Lawdarrives 9 months following the Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space taking himself to a newer level artistically through some of his greatest material. His lyricism’s more abstract & the production has an experimentally illbient feeling to it than most of his previous output.

Score: 4/5

Cult of the Damned – “Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate” review

This is the full-length studio debut from England, United Kingdom collective the Cult of the Damned consisting of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Introducing themselves as the Children of the Damned’s spiritual successor in 2015 with an eponymous debut EP, they’re picking up right where they left off on Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate.

“Part 2” begins with a boom bap sequel to the intro of the Cult’s self-titled extended play produced by Dr. Zygote where most of the members are asking if one knows which way to take at an intersection whereas “Salt Water” by the B-Movie Millionaires, Salar & Swamp Harbour references WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T over a Sam Zircon instrumental.

BeTheGun, Lee Scott, Sly Moon & the Super Sag Bros all appear on “No Explanation” demanding everyone respects them just before Bill Shakes & Tony Broke trade verses over a Reklews beat during “The Usual” referencing UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer. “From the Depths” has an eerier boom bap vibe instrumentally dismantling anyone who wants to step up to them in a battle leading into “Never No” brings Bill Shakes, Hock Tu Down, King Grubb, Milkavelli & Salar together talk about those who don’t know the deal with the Cult by now never knowing.

“Nicole” gets the other half of the LP going making their own version of “Triumph” dropping 7 verses without the need of a hook while “Civilized” dustily talks about waiting at the top. “Connect 4” finds the Antiheroes joining Bill Shakes & King Grubb for a chorus-less hardcore hip hop track but after “Coffee” has Bisk tagging in for Grubb & the Mcabre Brothers replacing the Antiheroes cautioning people will learn who they are once they start smoking again, “Bad Card” spends the last 4 minutes giving straight bars over a rugged boom bap beat.

Making a broader extension of their self-titled debut EP after I had graduated from high school, the Cult of the Damned dives deeper into their universe making sure all of the wide range of side projects that’ve formed before & after the Children of the Damned’s merger with Cult Mountain are included. The boom bap production contains more elements of grime than their 2015 introduction did albeit to a much lesser extent & lyrically, they’re cementing themselves as one of the most unstoppable forces in all of UK hip hop.

Score: 4.5/5

B-Movie Millionaires – “Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space” review

The B-Movie Millionaires are a duo from the United Kingdom consisting of Manchester, England emcee Black Josh alongside Runcorn, Cheshire emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott. Known for being members of the Cult of the Damned collective, these guys would make their eponymous debut in 2015 with an extended play produced by Axel Holy containing guest appearances from their Cult brethren. However, they’ve decided to hold off on having features for their full-length studio debut almost 2 months since Kurtis Chapman ended Flash Morgan Webster’s reign as RPW British Cruiserweight Champion & I felt like that was an appropriate move as much as I enjoyed self-titled.

After the intro, the first song “Coool Like Dat” breaks the door down with a boom bap instrumental talking about no one being to blame although it ain’t their fault whereas “Chicken Pill” works in a bell sample speaking of the real always recognizing real & those who know staying aware. “Sw£g Level 9000” talks about them being superhuman leading into “Cult Ho£gun” referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion & WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan.

“Camouflage Money” gets the 2nd half going talking about being miles away while “Hawaii” gives off a tropical boom bap vibe to the beat wanting everyone to put their hands in the air. “Whatchusayin” brings back the grit advising anyone approaching them to get to the point & after “River Phoenix” demonstrates some insane cinema wordplay, “Social Media” ends the Millionaires’ full-length debut talking about the negative effects sites like the Meta Platforms-owned Facebook has had on society as a whole.

Between this & of course the B-Movie Millionaires’ introductory EP, I’d say these guys slightly outdid themselves & believe they could make their best work if Black Josh & Lee Scott take some elements from both of their projects & combined them all for a potential sophomore effort. Sam Zircon’s production leans towards the traditional boom bap sound enhanced by Telemachus’ engineering & you get a better look at the chemistry between both members throughout Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space.

Score: 3.5/5