Heem – “From the Cradle to the Game” review

Heem is a 30 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who caught 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 also made a few appearances on the label’s showcase EP prior to dropping his debut mixtape Long Story Short that same winter & a debut EP High Art last spring, but is up next at bat in the BSF camp to drop a full-length debut.

“Reasonable Doubt” is a soulful boom bap opener to kick things off admitting that he’s feeling better than ever since the last time we heard from him whereas “Radio Raheem” has more of a Daringer influence to the beat asking what you really know about dope game cocaine. “Mob Business” featuring Benny the Butcher & Styles P says it all with the strongest instrumental on the album thus far courtesy of Rick Hyde just before “Caper Boy” works in some more kicks & snares talking about running up 7 figures.

Meanwhile, “Black Sheep” picks up with a piano boom bap crossover telling y’all his story as a lil’ ghetto boy from the east side of Buffalo leading into “Cocaine County” featuring Conway the Machine keeps it raw sonically talking about drowning in the dope & calling to send a rescue boat in to save them. “Picture Me Rollin’” goes chipmunk soul acknowledging that he’s come a long way from the hard white, but then “Tears of Blood” is a boom bap-inflicted ode to his real street homies.

“Mamie Lee” chops up what I assume is a gospel sample paying tribute to his grandmother while “Guilty By Association” featuring Rick Hyde returns to the boom bap talking about being products of crack money. “Long Way Home” saying it just might be do or die at the end of the day over a pillowy beat while “The Motto” dives back into the basement talking about being from the streets. The penultimate track “Young N***a Old N***a” incorporates a piano instrumental from DJ Green Lantern calling himself the chosen one & “Same Ole G” jumps on top of some organs making it known he ain’t changed.

Long Story Short was a great introduction to Heem & what he’s capable of doing on the mic, but From the Cradle to the Game gives listeners a more introspective look into his background for anyone wanting to know more about him. Although I think the production on that previous tape is better by a hair, the concept presented here of him growing up a good child & jumping into the game after going to the line is cohesively laid out with a brief yet tight feature list.

Score: 3.5/5

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Fuego Base – “Biggest Since Camby” review

This is the proper full-length debut from Hartford, Connecticut emcee Fuego Base. Getting his start a few years ago off his debut EP Tell My Momma Imma Rapper, he would continue to build up his catalog by going on to drop another EP called Tell My Momma Imma Rapper Still & the Say Dat mixtape trilogy before Buffalo’s very own Benny the Butcher signed Fuego to his ever-growing MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records last year. So considering this new label deal of his, dude’s making it clear that he’s the Biggest Since Camby to come out of the forgotten place of Hartford.

After the intro, the title track opens up the album by letting everyone know who’s running the city now over a dusty boom bap instrumental with some bass licks prior to Elcamino & 38 Spesh both coming into the picture for “Blocked” produced by the latter as the trio talk about the only thing on their mind being the paper & wealth over a more synth-based sound. “Heavy D” brings back the kicks & snares with a piano loop getting on his hustler shit just before the warm “Chest Pains” talks about having to get his people right.

Meanwhile with “Holding On”, we have Heem tagging along so both MCs make it clear that they stay strapped when cruising down the city with an atmospheric Rick Hyde beat leading into “Quality” with O.T. the Real returns to the boom bap orchestral style making it clear that excellence is the standard. “House Phone” fuses some kicks, snares & a crooning sample making it clear they’ve been running it for a grip until “Take a Look” dives into trap turf as Benny the Butcher, Lo Pro, Ricky & Uncle Murda discuss pushin’ weight.

“The Warehouse” with Benny & O.T. was a great choice for a single making their great escape from off the corner over some hi-hats & strings until the sequel with Benny, Camino & Heem keeping the string sections in tact swapping out the hi-hats with more kicks & snares talking about being the bosses they are. The solemnly produced “Tommy Brown” with Rick Hyde & Sheek Louch finds the trio asking where the fire in their eyes went while the penultimate track “White Lives Matter” featuring another recent Black Soprano Family signing Sule takes it back to the basement courtesy of Havoc admitting he’s too comfy in this music shit. “Ron Francis” though is a powerful closer to the album making it clear that they love the residue more than hoes.

You can most definitely hear the hunger in Fuego on his early material, but he really takes it to another level on Biggest Since Camby to the point where I can most definitely see it being the album that renews the public eye’s interest in the Connecticut hip hop scene & one to reveal him to be a welcoming addition to the ever-growing BSF roster. He sounds more focused than ever, it’s more well-produced & it’s really interesting to hear how well he gels with his fellow labelmates as well as their affiliates.

Score: 3.5/5

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Black Soprano Family Records – “Long Live DJ Shay” review

This is the 2nd showcase compilation from Buffalo independent hip hop label Black Soprano Family Records. Founded in 2016 by Benny the Butcher of Griselda fame, the roster has significantly grown throughout the years with the likes of Duffel Bag Hottie to Rick Hyde & even battle rap icon RJ Payne. The label has maintained a distribution deal with MNRK Music Group since everything was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic a couple summers back & put out an eponymous debut EP hosted by DJ Drama not too long after, but is following it up in the form of Long Live DJ Shay.

The intro kicks it all off with a sinister boom bap instrumental from the late DJ Shay himself & Fuego Base popping in during the last minute or so after a spoken word piece from Westside Gunn going at B$F’s opposition whereas “Shay Face” by Benny & Rick Hyde works in some piano chords to remind everyone of their authenticity. “297 Parkside” by Elcamino, Rick & Stove God Cook$ brings a high-pitched sample to the fold thanks to Camoflauge Monk paying homage to the titular street in NY prior to “Danger Zone” by Heem, O.T. the Real & Ricky grimly talking about spending many nights in the titular space.

Meanwhile on “Pandemic Flow”, we have Conway the Machine & Cory Gunz accompanying Rick Hyde over some spooky Uncle Al production to brag how crazy they go leading into the Heem solo cut “Bastard Child” declaring himself as such over a flute-tinged boom bap beat. After the “Sit Down with Preemo” skit, Benny returns alongside Heem & Ricky for the dusty “Times is Rough” laced by none other than DJ Premier confessing they’re running out of reasons to sympathize just before “Mustachios” by Boldy James, Chase Fetti & Heem brings a guitar & hi-hats into the fold talking about the mafia lifestyles they live.

“Li-Lo” by Elcamino, Krayzie Bone & Loveboat Luciano comes through with a summery love anthem that Ill Tone helped put together & the song “Bigger B$F” by Armani Caesar, Benny, Heem & Rick following the “Respect to Shay” interlude sees the quartet ruggedly bragging about their increasing profile. The penultimate track “Brody” by Elcamino & Heem has a more soulful tone to it confessing that the streets made them who they are today with “Mr. Pyrex Man” by Benny ending the album with a glistening trap instrumental spitting that hustler shit.

If you enjoyed the self-titled EP that B$F put out a couple years ago, then you’re probably gonna like Long Live DJ Shay even more. The production has improved, everyone on the label roster sounds even hungrier than last time, the features are all well-picked out for a good majority of the album & I think it would all make Shay more than proud.

Score: 3.5/5

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FlexxBabyy – “Barbara’s Son” review

This is the 4th EP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist FlexxBabyy. Coming up in the spring of 2020 after Benny the Butcher signed him to his MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records, he has gone on to drop a plethora of singles & 3 EPs since being taken under the Buffalo emcee/entrepreneur’s wing. He just dropped OutKast a few months back & is already following it up in the form of Barbara’s Son now that we’re about halfway through the summer at this point.

“1 Day” is a short yet catchy trap opener talking about how cats stay mad at him whereas “Bothering Meh” works in a rage beat to confess that he has shit buggin’ him. “Other Hand” shoots for a more cloudier aesthetic to chase the bag leading into the bassy yet somewhat mystic “Racks In” continuing to thirst for the bread.

The song “Stuck to Meh” returns to hypertrap detailing a bitch that’s stuck to him like they use honey while the penultimate track “Wraith” takes it back to a cloudy trap sound talking about trying to pull up in the Rolls-Royce of the same name. “That’s Yo Word” closes the EP with an airy beat with some bells woven in to describe how bad this other bitch is.

Even Benny himself has said in the past that he has bigger plans for BSF by bringing in artists that separate themselves form the boom bap sound that the label has become known for & FlexxBabyy is a good example of that. His hunger only increases by the minute, the songwriting is getting catchier & I can’t knock on the fact that he’s continuing to refine his rage-influenced sound.

Score: 3.5/5

Rick Hyde – “Stima” review

This is the 9th EP from Buffalo emcee/producer Rick Hyde. One of the flagship artists on Benny the Butcher’s very own MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records, he would go on to drop the impressive full-length debut Plates at the beginning of 2019 after warming everyone up with his first 7 EPs a feature-studded sequel last summer that was preluded by an EP of it’s own. But coming fresh off that, Ricky’s still applying pressure by releasing Stima.

“Who Am I?!” opens up the EP with a chipmunk soul banger properly reintroducing himself to the world whereas “Y Bother Talkin’?” works in some operatic vocal loops to declare no mercy on the weak minded. “Arrivederci” takes a more sinister approach in terms of sound dissing the wankstas leading into the braggadocious “La Spina”, which goes into somewhat of a more futuristic direction with the instrumental.

Meanwhile on “Like This”, we’re treated to a dusty yet raw B$F posse cut describing what real d-boys look like while the song “Ms. Young” gets on his hustler shit & the beat here is kinda similar to that of “Lemon” off Conway the Machine’s classic debut From King to a God. The penultimate track “Poza” with Rome Streetz finds the 2 over a brassy Alchemist instrumental belittling their competition & “Perspective” finishes it off on a glossier note talking about where he’s at now.

For an EP, I’d say Ricky delivered some of the best work of his career with Stima. In comparison to his last album, I really admire how he decided to step it up in the production department & tone it down on the features so he remind everyone that he can undoubtedly hold it down on his own because some of his best pen-work pops up here.

Score: 4/5

Heem – “High Art” review

This is the debut EP from Buffalo emcee Heem. Catching my attention earlier this year after becoming of a protege of Benny the Butcher & signing to his MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records, he also made a few appearances on the label’s showcase EP that dropped a couple summers back before following it up with the impressive debut mixtape Long Story Short a day after my birthday that same year. A year & a half later, he’s now returning with some High Art.

“Don Mega” is a boom bap opener with a crooning vocal loop declaring himself as such whereas “Soul Food” works is some organs talking about smoking weed. The song “Cheech & Chong” keeps the stoner vibes coming down to the psychedelic instrumental while the penultimate track “Hydro Plane” mixes chipmunk soul with pianos talking about weed of course. “Buddah Love, North Fire” ends the EP on a jazzier note asking for an ounce.

Yeah it’s been a little over a week since 4/20 but as a pro-weed advocate himself, I still think High Art is still an awesome offering to all the smokers out there. Marc Spano’s production is some of the best of his career & Heem comes through with some clever raps about his love for that good kush.

Score: 3.5/5

Benny the Butcher – “Tana Talk 4” review

Benny the Butcher is a 37 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who’s been making music since 2004. However, 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. Last year alone, he teamed up with Harry Fraud for The Plugs I Met II in the spring & then Pyrex Picasso in the summer. However, he’s finally linking back up with Daringer & The Alchemist for his 3rd full-length album as well as the 4th installment of the Tana Talk series.

“Johnny P’s Caddy” kicks off the album with a soulful Alchemist beat & J. Cole joining Benny in talking about deserving to be where they are now & their cribs being like an old show on the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned MTV whereas the Stove God Cook$-assisted “Back 2x” follows it up by bringing the coke raps back & Daringer taking the instrumental back to the basement. “Super Plug” works in a dejecting beat talking about how his only wish was to get his close ones rich just before Boldy James tags along for “Weekends in the Perry’s”, where he & Benny jump on top of a chipmunk soul sample addressing how it’s always been.

Meanwhile on “10 More Crack Commandments”, we have The Butcher delivering a stellar sequel to “10 Crack Commandments” that would make Biggie proud down to the spoken word outro from Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy leading into Conway coming into the picture for “Tyson vs. Ali” talking about how everyone compares the greatest to the greatest nowadays on top of some dusty drums & pianos. “Uncle Bun” goes into a more suspenseful direction as a Benny & 38 Spesh toss the mic back & forth with one another, but then “Thowy’s Revenge” incorporates a horn sample talking about how he went & got it.

“Billy Joe” brings an organ into the picture to describe the shit he be doing within the first 3 days of every month while the song “Guerrero” with Westside Gunn finds the 2 on top of a futuristic boom bap instrumental with some amazing wordplay. The penultimate track “Bust a Brick Nick” viciously attacks those who haven’t been the places he’s been to even though the beat is opulent as Hell & lastly, “Mr. Chow Hall” ends the album by confessing what’s been on his mind lately & the instrumental here is just spine-tingling.

Much like Conway did with God Don’t Make Mistakes a couple weeks back, I think Benny gave us some of the best work of his career with this album. From the vivid street imagery to Daringer & The Alchemist’s production, every one involved kills it at picking up where the previous installment of the series left off while recapturing that sound.

Score: 4.5/5

Grafh – “Stop Calling Art Content” review

Grafh is a 39 year old MC from Queens, New York who came up in 2003 off his debut mixtape The Bang Out. However, he went on to release 7 more tapes before dropping his first full-length album Autografh only a few years later. But with a total of 18 mixtapes & an EP under his belt now, Grafh has signed to Benny the Butcher’s very own MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records for his official sophomore effort produced entirely by the late DJ Shay.

After the intro, the first song “God Bless” is a rich opener praying that his homies make it out the hood whereas “Very Different” with Benny the Butcher works in some high-pitched saxes to compare & contrast themselves to their opposition. “No Reason” has a more settler boom bap tone talking about being the top chef, but then “Chosen” takes a more occult route comparing himself to that of a prodigy.

Meanwhile on “Out the Pot”, we get some keyboard embellishments & dusty drums to talk about how it’s all in the wrist leading into Heem & Rick Hyde tagging along for the uptempo “Promise” which despite it’s annoying hook has a great message to it about staying true to their words. CyHi the Prynce & 3D Na’Tee come into the picture for the ominous “Slums” detailing their way up to the top just before the soulful “From the Start” with Bun B & Styles P speaks on foreseeing their success.

“Bellini” has a bit of a theatrical tone instrumentally talking about doing it all while the organ-laced “Crystals” spitting that slanger shit. The penultimate track “Valid” with Ransom & Sheek Louch sinisterly talks about everything being well-founded & if you couldn’t tell by the title of “God Must Love Me”, it serves as a heartfelt closer thanking the higher power for where he is today.

I’ve enjoyed a couple of this dude’s tapes every here & there throughout the year, but Stop Calling Art Content really exceeded my expectations coming away from it. Quite possibly his finest hour in my opinion. Even though Shay has been gone for almost a year now, his sound & Grafh’s lyricism bounce off each other so naturally on this album.

Score: 4/5

Rick Hyde – “Plates 2” review

Rick Hyde is a 31 year old emcee/producer from Buffalo, New York notable for being a flagship artist on Benny the Butcher’s very own E1 Music imprint Black Soprano Family Records. His debut album Plates that came out at the very beginning of 2019 was pretty solid & after a couple years of teasing a sequel, we’re finally getting it in the form of Ricky’s sophomore album & he’s pulling out all the big guns for it.

The intro with Tearz finds the 2 jumping on top of some keys & faint strings talking about being another product of the 80s whereas the Westside Gunn-assisted “Nova” speaks on their youngest shooters ‘til it’s all said & done backed by a smooth Daringer instrumental. Benny the Butcher & G Herbo tag along to tell motherfuckers to show their actions on the soulful trap banger “Alone” but after the “Booney on the Phone” interlude, the song “Hustler’s Prayer” enlists Heem to say they’re thankful for the paper & the holy vibe of the beat fits well.

Meanwhile on “Glorious Mourning”, we have Ricky jumping on top of a high-pitched vocal loop preparing for a mental funeral just before “Sarah” serves as an alluring 2-minute freestyle. Killa Kyleon comes in for the R&B-tinged “When I Go” produced by Sha Money XL talking about how people are still gonna love them when they’re both gone leading into “Momma Luv”, which is a crooning tribute to his Ma Dukes if you couldn’t tell by the title.

After the “Come Up” interlude, the Jay Worthy/Chase Fetti-assisted “Red Moon Rising” has a dope vocal loop throughout despite having some of the weaker performances on the album but then he & Meyhem Lauren make up for it by talking about making their homies bosses on the Harry Fraud-produced “Enrique” that comes up following the “Blasphemy” interlude.

The song “Skid Row” with Elcamino & T.F. finds the trio dramatically details their lives in the hood while the penultimate track “Slow Eddie” with Grafh & Skyzoo come together for some drug shit accompanied by a somber beat from the late DJ Shay. Then there’s “Black Sinatra”, where Benny & Heem join Rick to operatically compare themselves as such.

The first Plates is a bit better, but that’s not to say this isn’t a worthy follow-up. I think he overdid it on the features however, the production has improved & Ricky delivers a respectable thank you to Shay for help getting him where he is now.

Score: 3.5/5

Benny the Butcher – “Pyrex Picasso” review

This is the 6th EP from Buffalo emcee Benny the Butcher. Getting his start in 2004 off his debut mixtape Tana Talk, it wasn’t until 2018 when he dropped his Daringer/Alchemist-produced debut album Tana Talk 3 under his cousin Westside Gunn’s independent powerhouse Griselda Records. This was followed up with The Plugs I Met & the Hit-Boy-produced Burden of Proof but just 5 months after teaming up with Harry Fraud for The Plugs I Met II, the butcher is now proclaiming himself as the Pyrex Picasso.

After the “1st Name Basis” intro, “Flood the Block” is a bit of a celebratory kickstarter talking about drugs & clocking dollars whereas “PWRDRL” with Elcamino has a bit of a rock feel getting on their mafioso shit. The title track with Conway the Machine works in some keyboards & dusty drums talking about getting rich just before Elcamino returns with Rick Hyde for the symphonic “‘73”, saying their competitors will never be them. “The Iron Curtain” works in some haunting organs spitting that street gospel & the closer “Fly with Me” with Conway the Machine has a soulful vibe talking about being hustlers.

It’s no secret this dude has been working hard on the Tana Talk 4 double album for a while now & I think Pyrex Picasso serves as a fresh lil’ appetizer before the main course despite being recorded 3 years back. Chop La Rok & Rare Scilla do their thing behind the boards for The Butcher to let his flashy lyricism come in to play as it usually does.

Score: 3.5/5