Heem – “Bars & Noble” review

Here we have the sophomore full-length studio LP from Buffalo, New York emcee Heem. Catching my attention in 2020 after becoming of a protege of Benny the Butcher & signing to his MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records, he He also made a few appearances on the label’s showcase EP prior to dropping his debut mixtape Long Story Short & a debut EP High Art. And with his debut album From the Cradle to the Game celebrating its 1-year anniversary last weekend, it makes sense for him to follow it up by releasing Bars & Noble.

“46 Long” is a soulfully drumless beginning to the album fighting his demons with weed & Hennessy maintaining his chemistry with the killaz to whereas “Lanova’s” featuring Conway the Machine & Jae Skeese brings a jazzier boom bap flare to the table thanks to Scram Jones lethally going off top for 2 & a half minutes. “Super Gangsta” featuring Illy Foo makes a murkier turn within the instrumental talking about never backing down, but then “Pookie’s First Love” stripping the drums to profess that this crack shit got a hold of him.

Benny joins Da Steemer for “Billy Goat” hopping over a grand trap beat from Ill Tone to get back in action just before “1000 Watts” samples soul music yet again talking about doing this shit for the trenches & all the real ones that stay on the block. The title track makes a turn into eerie boom bap territory getting real with y’all leading into the dusty, hair-raising “R.N.S. (Real N***a Shit)” featuring Jay Worthy calling bluff on those who be cappin’ about the way they living.

“Life of a Gangsta” gets on his mob shit over a grim beat with kicks & snares while “The Oath” featuring Boldy James & produced by the late DJ Shay makes a soulful turn instrumentally vowing to never quit. The funky “7.62” breaks down exactly how dark & cloudy it is on his side while the piano-boom bap “1 Mic” talks about getting his mind right & his money up. “Me vs. Me” wraps things up with a soul sample dismissing any competition.

On the contrary to the idea of Heem hunkering down with a singular producer like Scram Jones or even DJ Green Lantern to fully produce an entire project for him which I think would be incredibly dope, Bars & Noble regardless stands as an enjoyable sophomore effort from the Black Soprano Family Steemer keeping the label’s continuous grind going. The production is primarily boom bap with some drumless & trap undertones, we have a brief yet mostly solid guest list & they help Heem give a dedication to the Day 1s.

Score: 3.5/5

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Duckman – “Black Soprano Eskimo” review

Anchorage, Alaska rapper Duckman releasing his debut mixtape through Black Soprano Family Records after making a name for himself in the Alaskan hip hop scene by putting out the full-length debut A Bag Boy Story: Welcome to the East in the summer of 2016 followed by the sophomore effort A Bag Boy Story II: Back to da East only 11 months later & his 3rd album The Slim Show the Christmas after that. He would subsequently put out 3 more LPs in The Adventures of Quack Poppa, Off the Grid & Off the Grid 2 until signing to B$F at the beginning of 2024 & is coming off of B.A.R.S. Murre’s comeback effort Jewelry Store Shootouts by introducing himself as the Black Soprano Eskimo.

The intro gets us started with a symphonic trap instrumental tellin’ those who’ve never been to Alaska not experiencing 20 hours of darkness & that he isn’t your average $1M person whereas “Ghetto Gospel” featuring Elcamino works in a ghostly sample mixed with hi-hats to talk about being on the brinks of being heirs to the throne. “Karma” takes the soulful trap route instrumentally talking about trying to get some paper out it leading into “Cost to Be the Boss” vibrantly getting boastful.

“I Did” has a bit of a Detroit trap flare to it admitting that he isn’t proud of a lot of the shit he’s done although he was standing on business just before the tape’s sole single “M.C.M. (Money Counter Music)” featuring Skilla Baby is a decent ode to counting your bread. “Cullinan” featuring Sauce Walka continues the soul sampling talks about losing it all only to get it right back while the cloudy trap fusion “Vlad TV” featuring Bonni Drip continues to run it up advising to stay out of the mix.

Fuego Base & Heem both join the Duckman for the penultimate track “High Noon” goes head-on boom bap telling a true story of violence & brutality revolving around the true Sopranos, but then “Locked” featuring Benny the Butcher & Rowdy Rebel properly concludes Black Soprano Eskimo with the trio over this exuberant Brooklyn drill beat talking about knowing people who eventually landed behind bars for making that dope money with the Butcher’s verse during the middle being my favorite amongst the 2 guests.

Quite probably the most exciting artist that I’ve ever heard out of the Alaskan hip hop scene has to be Duckman by far & his official B$F debut here takes himself to a higher level as an artist. Black Soprano Eskimo has a bit of a prominent trap sound to it with additional elements of Detroit trap, Brooklyn drill & a hint of boom bap discussing where he is now as well as his life involved in the biggest cocaine bust in Alaska history.

Score: 3.5/5

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B.A.R.S. Murre – “Jewelry Store Shootouts” review

New Jersey emcee B.A.R.S. Murre returning from a 4-year hiatus for the 5th full-length studio album in his discography. Signing to Black Soprano Family Records over a decade ago for his debut Chicken & Cake, he would continue to follow this up with Dead Nasty as well as Whimsical & Black Tanita respectively. However nearly 3 & a half years since the last LP Husky Marinara including the fact that B$F’s been growing as a label in recent years, Murre’s returning for some Jewelry Store Shootouts.

The title track has a funky boom bap flare to the instrumental talking about being on his way to Philly for a new piece until everything goes wrong whereas “Guess Who” featuring Rick Hyde & produced by Johnny Slash keeps it grimy asking to take a guess as to who they just served. “Like That” featuring Loveboat Luciano works in a flute with kicks & snares lookin’ to shake everything since it’s more than rap just before the symphonic/boom bap crossover “Beat Bleed” looks to son anyone who wants to step up to him.

“Gremlin” eerily likens himself to that of the titular mischievous sprite & after the “Stupid Motherfuckus” interlude, “Ralph Cifaretto” feat. Benny the Butcher finds the 2 ruggedly referencing the Sopranos character of the same name whom Tony eventually kills. “Uranus” featuring Elcamino brings a much colder atmosphere to the table instrumentally talking about being the new Patrick Swayze, but then “D’Lo Brown” turns up the rawness paying homage to the former WWE Superstar from the Attitude Era of the now WME Group-owned division of TKO Group Holdings.

B.A.R.S. jumps on top of sinister piano chords clashing with the kicks & snares for “Boomin’” talkin’ about everything being a heater while “Cooker X3” featuring Fuego Base & even Lil’ Fame brings the trio together aggressively reminding that they done came up from a shady crew. “Yes Sir” featuring Heem comes together to grittily talk about their bloodline coming together & after the “Big G.M.” interlude, “Paranoid” gives me a mafioso/boom bap vibe admitting to switch up as a result of paranoia. Armani Caesar hops on the “Pumper” remix serving as the penultimate track for a Bonnie & Clyde anthem done in the signature GxF fashion & “The Coolest” ends the album by wickedly having the power to rule Earth.

Jewelry Store Shootouts has been in the making since for quite some time when you look at 10 of the 17 songs being released as singles over three course of 2 & a half years, but it’s most definitely a step above anything that B.A.R.S. Murre has done previously. You can hear how much he’s evolved as a lyricist over a decade of being in the game, it’s more well-produced & even the guests all add their own flavor for the latest member of the Black Soprano Family introducing himself to a wider audience in the underground.

Score: 4/5

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Elcamino – “The Game is the Game” review

Buffalo emcee & singer Elcamino following up his Black Soprano Family Records debut They Spit on Jesus with his 15th EP. Blowing up in 2017 off his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, his profile increasingly grew after being followed up by Walking on Water mixtape in the summer of 2018 along with dropped 2 studio albums & a few EPs the year after that. They Spit on Jesus was the first Camino project that I had covered since On the 3rd Day & that much like No Weapon Formed Against Me was an improvement over some of the material we’ve gotten from him in recent years. Fast forward 5 months later, Real Bad Man’s being enlisted throughout the duration of The Game is the Game

“Give Them Hope (Curtis)” is a piano-driven opener saying he was more of an understudy for Ghost that constantly took notes whereas quasi-jazzy “Chest Wrestlers” talks about not having time for fake aggressive coke-snorters. “Champagne Pisses” featuring the B$F general himself Benny the Butcher works in these strings, kicks & snares asking if anyone fears not making it to the finish line just before “Fashion Week” featuring King Ralph finds the 2 brothers showing off their big mafia statuses.

Meanwhile, “New Levels” talks about being long way from a crook with all the sacrifices that he’s taken on top of some vibraphones leading into “C’mon Nephew” goes into soulful territory to pen an open letter to his nephew forgiving him for some bullshit he pulled some time ago. “No Fighting” featuring Boldy James is an organ/boom bap crossover likening themselves to scramblers, but then “Expensive Cloth” brings to funkier flare airing out those who want him to be more of a target.

Rick Hyde joins Elcamino for the penultimate track “Melrose” pushing near the encore of The Game is the Game discussing their elevations over pianos, kicks & snares that is until “Sllick Talk” featuring Player K rounds out the EP by hopping over synthesizers calling themselves shooters trying to score as well as telling y’all that we should be seeing the way both of them be living now.

If you enjoyed They Spit on Jesus as much as I did 6 months ago, you’re probably gonna like The Game is the Game almost as much if not more than the LP that officially introduced Elcamino to the B$F roster. Real Bad Man continues to further cement himself as one of the most in-demand producers the underground, the guest-list is equally tight & Camino’s just breaking down how it be out here.

Score: 4/5

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Sule – “Written on Wide’s Corner” review

Sule is a 29 year old emcee from Englewood, New Jersey whom Benny the Butcher signed to Black Soprano Family Records at the end of 2022 after putting out 7 EPs over the course of a decade. He’s also notable for his guest verse on the Biggest Since Camby closing track “White Lives Matter” produced by Havoc formerly of Mobb Deep, which was one of my favorites off that LP last spring. However, he’s releasing his first official body of work through B$F in the form of his 8th EP clocking in at 24 & a half minutes long as well as 9 tracks.

“Tommy Bundy” begins with a sample-laced boom bap instrumental from Nyckles & Harlem Zone who did the majority of the EP likening himself to the late DMX’s titular character in Hype Williams’ directional debut Belly whereas “Made for It” featuring Benny works in more kicks & snares with an symphonic flip asking if you were built for this shit if you got it but lost it. “Courtesy Inn” brings some pianos into the fold talking about his mother never having to worry ever again just before the jazzy “Jodie” tells the tragic story of the titular character.

Fuego Base & Inspectah Deck of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan comes into the picture for “Wu-Sopranos” returning to the boom bap bringing it to y’all raw lyrically, but then “Crown Vic” featuring The Hoodies finds the trio keeps it grimy flexing their powerhouse statuses. “If a Brick Could Talk” has an eerier boom bap atmosphere detailing the hustler lifestyle while “Y.N.G.A.W. (Young N****s Got a Wave)” makes a 180° with its trap beat & boisterous lyrics. “Marlo Scamfield” ends the EP with kicks, snares & a shimmery loop referencing the character from The Wire.

Black Soprano Family is constantly putting on their ever-growing roster & Written on Wide’s Corner completely takes Sule to a new level, as it’s by far the best thing he’s put out to date. I think the production here mostly grounded in the traditional boom bap sound with trap undertones is stronger compared to his previous material, it has a short yet solid guest list & the Englewood emcee sets out to make his hometown a landmark.

Score: 4/5

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Benny the Butcher – “Everybody Can’t Go” review

Buffalo emcee Benny the Butcher ending the first month of 2024 by releasing his 4th full-length LP & major label debut under Def Jam Recordings. Being in the game for 2 decades already, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Harry Fraud came in for a sequel to the latter following the mature Burden of Proof & finally, Tana Talk 4 took it back to the basement a couple years back. But for the butcher’s Def Jam opus, he’s having Hit-Boy produce half of it & leaving the other half to The Alchemist.

“Jermaine’s Graduation” sets the tone of what’s to come with a luxurious instrumental explaining that he doesn’t need a trophy because he is the trophy whereas “Bron” goes into a triumphant boom bap direction likening himself as the LeBron James of this rap shit. “Big Dog” featuring Lil Wayne works in this reversed loop talking about being too dogs, but then the title track featuring Kyle Banks on the hook giving back to the game accompanied by a soul sample & some kicks & snares.

Meanwhile, “T.M.V.T.L. (Trust More Valuable Than Love)” has some dynamic production throughout expressing the importance of trust over love just before “Back Again” returns to the boom bap with additional vocals from WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg talking about being gangstas. “1 Foot In” featuring Stove God Cook$ starts the 2nd leg of the album admitting he was a foot out the game after that freestyle with Funkmaster Flex over a hard-hitting beat leading into “Buffalo Kitchen Club” featuring Armani Caesar blending these piano chords & hi-hats together reminding that nobody fucking with them.

“Pillow Talk & Slander” featuring Babyface Ray & Jadakiss sees the trio telling their older selves to watch out for these hoes over a rich trap instrumental while “How to Rap” takes it back to the basement showing everyone how it’s done. “Griselda Express” featuring Conway the Machine & Rick Hyde begins the encore of the LP by saying they ain’t stopping on top of a solemn beat & “Big Tymers” featuring Peezy ties things up with 1-last trap cut boasting their current statuses.

A lot people who started with Benny or played a part ain’t make it since some are no longer with us, in prison, taking other paths or others that just weren’t built for it. With the help of Hit-Boy & Uncle Al, he puts the biggest lesson he took from that on full display for his major label debut. The production is versatile, the guests match his intensity & the Butcher inviting y’all to his world.

Score: 4.5/5

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O.T. the Real – “Zombie” review

This is the 5th full-length LP from Philadelphia emcee O.T. the Real. Starting up in 2016 after coming home from prison & dropping his debut single “Papercuts”, his profile began to grow from there after showcasing his skills on radio stations as well as his a discography currently consisting of 4 albums accompanied by a mixtape & 7 EPs up to this point. Standouts include the Heatmakerz-produced 3rd EP The Irishman, the DJ Green Lantern-produced 3rd album Broken Glass that dropped on my 25th birthday & his previous LP the Statik Selektah produced Maxed Out. I haven’t covered his music since then but he’s dropped his debut mixtape No Matter What & a total of 3 EPs: Desperation of December, It’s Almost Over & Red Summer. All of which were hit or miss for me personally so when it was announced that O.T. was finally signing to Black Soprano Family Records/MNRK Music Group & enlisting araabMUZIK to fully prelude his debut for the Buffalo indie label Zombie, it raised my expectations significantly.

“If They Coulda, They Woulda” is a rugged 103 second boom bap opener having all the perfect samples of the dope that he be producing whereas “Turning Stones” shifts gears into trap territory dedicating this to all his homies who got it their own way. “The Crown” featuring an opening verse from Benny the Butcher & Elcamino on the hook lavishly talks about wearing the titular object on their rollies leading into the spacey trap flavored “Strong Survive” talking about only those who have strength will prosper.

Conway the Machine slides through on the jazzy “Just Different” cautioning that it ain’t the same when it’s you being the one to come & get, but then “Certain Things” featuring 38 Spesh addresses specific topics that they don’t even talk about over an eerie loop hooked up with these kicks & snares. “Ice Baby” takes a groovier route instrumentally working in some hi-hats too showing how he hits it with the ice just before “Blood Stains” featuring Rome Streetz drearily returns to the boom bap talking about having to wash the streets to remove the stains from it.

“Whole Shabang” featuring Amir Ali is an alluring trap start to the final leg of the LP comparing this music shit to the coke exchange prior to the trillwave-inducing “Anemic” featuring LIHTZ talking about how homie only had 1 life & he played with it rather than just staying with it. “JJ Reddick” picks things up comparing himself to the Orlando Magic player of the same name over a glamorous boom bap beat that is until “Fade Away” ends O.T.’s debut with B$F on a dreary note with kicks & snares talking about how you never know when death’s gonna aim your way.

As someone who started following O.T. about 2 & a half years ago when The Irishmen dropped, Zombie is his strongest project since Maxed Out & easily one of the best to come out of the Black Soprano Family camp this year as he is a more than welcoming addition to the roster. araabMUZIK’s production is noticeably more consistent than the mixtape & trilogy of EPs we’ve gotten from O.T. in the last couple years as they go down to the streets with one another to match their intensity.

Score: 4/5

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Elcamino – “They Spit on Jesus” review

This is the 5th full-length LP from Buffalo emcee & singer Elcamino. Blowing up in 2017 off his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, his profile increasingly grew after being followed up by Walking on Watermixtape in the summer of 2018 along with dropped 2 studio albums & a few EPs the year after that. Now it’s been quite a while since I’ve last covered Camino, with the last project of his that I reviewed being his 10th EP On the 3rd Day. Since then he’s put out 4 more EPs alongside a couple additional LPs with Walk by Faith & Not by Sight and Let There Be Light. But after signing to Black Soprano Family Records not too long ago, he’s finally making his debut under Benny the Butcher’s very own MNRK Music Group imprint in the form They Spit on Jesus.

The title track featuring Fuego Base finds the 2 over a mobster-like boom bap instrumental from Ill Tone talking about how they would do the worst whereas “New Bills” featuring Benny works in some strings, kicks & snares detailing life in Buffalo for them. “Victory” featuring Inspectah Deck takes a more soulful boom bap approach getting on the celebratory side of things, but then “For the Streets” switches it up with a spacey trap banger dedicated to the hoods.

“Neva Gon’ Change” dives headfirst into chipmunk soul talking about refusing to ever switch up just before “Tap In” featuring Armani Caesar returns to a trap-based sound as both of them charismatically set out to hook you up. “Cry with Me” gives off a summery boom bap flare getting incredibly personal on the mic leading into the groovy “All I Know” talking about representing the very city that he came from.

Meanwhile, the appropriately titled minute & a half “Ballad” finds Elcamino singing over some horns that is until the delicately produced “Started from Nothing” featuring Loveboat Luciano spits about coming up not having shit. The song “80 Bills” featuring Benny the Butcher is an eerie trap cut reminding y’all that B$F be that mob while “War Ruckas featuring Havoc with Camino’s brother King Ralph & even over a soulful boom bap beat talking about bringing war. “The Best of Me” is an orchestral-tinged closer refusing to let people get to him.

I enjoyed Walk by Faith & Not by Sight and Elcamino 3, but No Weapon Formed Against Me was a significant improvement over some the other projects that he’s put out in these last 2 years so I had high expectations for They Spit on Jesus & it lived up to them. The production’s consistent, the guests are all on par & his versatility is on full display.

Score: 4/5

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Rick Hyde – “Lupara” review

Rick Hyde is a 34 year old emcee/producer from Buffalo, New York notable for being a flagship artist on Benny the Butcher’s very own MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records. His debut album Plates that came out at the very beginning of 2019 was pretty solid on top of 9 EPs & a sequel to his full-length debut, which the last we heard from him being the Stima EP that celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary this past. However, he’s now enlisting Chop-La-Rok & Rare Scrilla for a 10th EP.

“Rick Rhude” is a killer opener to the EP with it’s guitar passages & pianos promising that no one wants any of the smoke he’s bringing prior to “Eastside” featuring Elcamino works in a sample-based boom bap instrumental talking about another summer on the titular side of their respective hometown. “Weight Watchers” featuring Heem blends these keys & drums together advising not to come out unless you’re ready that is until “Change My High” comes through with a laidback weed smoker’s theme.

Fuego Base comes into the picture for the violin-infused “PTSD” cautioning not to speak of what you saw as this is a different type of law just before “1 Brick Minimum” featuring Benny the Butcher & Malik finds the trio aggressively getting in their hustler bags. “Knock Down” featuring Boldy James goes into a more alluring boom bap vibe calling out those who thought they were down, but then “Streets Ain’t the Same” featuring Benny sends off the EP as both of them emotionally talk about the streets being different these days.

B$F has undeniably been leaving a hot trail throughout 2023 whether it be Loveboat Luciano’s latest sophomore effort Parole or Fuego Base whom I mentioned earlier revealing himself to be the Biggest Since Camby. However, Lupara stands as my favorite project to come out of the Black Soprano Family camp as we reach more than halfway through the year. Ricky lets Chop-La-Rok & Rare Scrilla handle all the production paying tribute to the golden era so he can further cement his status as one of the strongest links on the label roster.

Score: 4/5

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Loveboat Luciano – “Parole” review

This is the sophomore full-length album from Buffalo emcee Loveboat Luciano. Emerging in 2018 off his debut EP Yung 4 Eva, he would go on to expand his discography by putting out the full-length debut Probation & a sequel to the Institutionalized by the Streets mixtape before signing to Black Soprano Family Records. But coming off Fuego Base’s debut Biggest Since Camby on 4/20 & then Heem’s sophomore effort From the Cradle to the Game over a month ago, Loveboat’s stepping up to the late on Parole

The intro is a gritty boom bap opener taking y’all where he came from whereas “2nd Strike” featuring Benny the Butcher fuses these synths, hi-hats, kicks & snares together courtesy of Rick Hyde letting it be known that there’s a storm coming. The title track hooks up what sounds like a whistling kettle pot dedicating this one to all the homies that be living raw to this day just before “Exonerated” goes into a more piano-driven territory talking about having nowhere to go but the block.

“Piss Test” featuring Ricky gives off a bluesier vibe thanks to Jahlil Beats calling out those who were hating while they were counting their stacks leading into “Detainer” featuring Dave East shifting gears into crooning trap turf discussing being about their business. “Warrant” featuring Heem & Dappa angrily disses those who turned witness ratting on the gang, but then “House Arrest” brings in another trap beat encouraging everyone to get used to B$F if you aren’t by now already.

Meanwhile, “Sentencing” starts the last leg of the album by returning to the boom bap promising to not let any of the hard times change him that is until the song “Loretto” featuring Conway the Machine has a more delicate instrumental venting over these demons that they be battling. The penultimate track “PSI” featuring Che Noir takes an atmospheric approach talking about situations that done turned them into bosses & the outro is a sample/trap crossover refusing to be on some extra shit.

Probation gave B$F fans a glimpse at the hardships that Loveboat was going through when the label started blowing up & expanding it’s roster, but Parole really offers a new perspective of where he’s been at in his life since then. The production choices have improved, the feature performances are more consistent & brings his undeniably rejuvenated passion that he’s received ever since coming back home to the mic.

Score: 3.5/5

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