Too $hort – “Sir Too $hort 2: Drink & Smoke” review

Oakland, California emcee, songwriter, producer & record executive Too $hort bridging the Sir Too $hort trilogy with his 22nd LP. Someone who’s been around for 4 decades with Born to Mack, Life is…Too $hort, $hort Dog’s in the House, Get In Where You Fit In & Gettin’ It (Album #10) all stick out in his extensive catalog. Sir Too $hort: Freaky Tales last spring under his own label Dangerous Music in tandem with EMPIRE Distribution was an improvement above his EMPIRE debut The Pimp Tape in 2018, looking to simply Drink & Smoke this summer reuniting with Lil Jon to have the crunk originator produce the whole thing.

“Better Pimp” pretty much sets the tone for what’s to come flowing over a piano-driven beat talking about being a pimp whereas “Drink & Smoke” featuring E-40 & Tyga made for an disappointing single mainly because the latter’s appearance completely ruins the vibe. “Back It Up” featuring Show Banga & UC Kayla finds the trio getting raunchy over an instrumental reminiscent of the mid-2000s even though I can do without the 2 guests, but I suppose “Thicky” isn’t bad in comparison talking about thick women.

Saweetie appears for “That’s My Bitch” discussing the pimp lifestyle once again & the Santa Clara artist taking on the thematic role of a bottom bitch just before “Wouldn’t Wanna Be Him” works in a flute to talk some shit about bitch-ass hater. “I’m Not a Square” featuring Suga Free unites so both of them can make it clear that they’re far from lame leading into “Good Coochie” by Mount Westmore teasing a potential sophomore effort from the supergroup.

“So So So Good” featuring Snow Tha Product treads the trap waters having both of them talking about how addictive the pussy is & after the “Invite” interlude, “We Came to Party” hits us with a cloudy ode to merely having fun in the club. “Out Tonight” spends a few minutes wanting to dance for an evening & the outro “5 Letter Word” sends off Sir Too $hort 2: Drink & Smoke talking about the fact African Americans are all across the globe.

Soon as I found out Lil Jon was gonna be fully producing Sir Too $hort 2: Drink & Smoke, I already knew that it was gonna be the best installment of this whole trilogy Too $hort’s been working on & it makes me wonder how the final installment will be even though he said he was gonna retire afterwards for the 3rd or 4th time. Nevertheless, the production’s more consistent than the predecessor 15 months ago & most of the guests are unmatched regardless of the select few I could’ve done without.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Tonio Armani – “Outside for the Summer” review

Columbus, Georgia singer/songwriter Tonio Armani enlisting Atlanta producer, DJ, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur & crunk progenitor Lil Jon to produce his brand new extended play. Dropping his full-length studio debut Love & Relationships along with the sophomore effort The Soul Train in 2019, he would go on to release Believe the following year & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg would sign him to Death Row Records distributed by gamma. following Intimacy. Making his debut for the label, it’s only right he steps Outside for the Summer.

The Ying Yang Twins appear on the intro “B.O.B. (Big Ole Butt)” joining forces over a vibrant beat so all 3 of them can talk about their love of women who have cake whereas “Walk That Line” instrumentally goes for more of a crunk&B vibe to describe a woman that he can’t seem to get enough of. “Donkey” soulfully sings about wanting all the ladies to get on down to the dance floor leading into “Line Dancer” ending the 1st leg of EP with a carefree R&B jam recalling this woman giving him a show.

“Temptation” gets the 2nd half going singing about a temptress trying to seduce Tonio when he’s already in a relationship & after “That’s My “Lady” soulfully dedicates itself to his soulmate he was referring to earlier, “Jam with Us” sings to those who’re unable to party with him that they can’t do so at all if that’s the case. “Bad Mamma” featuring Snoop Dogg finds the pair talking about women who’re well put together & the closing track “Superman Lover” featuring Nila Milan sends it all off with a laidback R&B duet with a summertime feeling to it.

Looking to celebrate his Georgian roots for our country’s semiquincentennial, Tonio Armani enlists a founding father of the crunk subgenre of hip hop to produce Outside for the Summer since he helped make some crunk&b hits back in the 2000s & would consider it to be gratifying debut for Tha Row as well as Tonio’s finest statement yet. He’s passionately honoring the people who made him the man he become today & Lil Jon’s production is more R&B-oriented compared to LaRussell’s 32nd EP Something’s in the Water.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

LaRussell – “Something’s in the Water” review

This is the 32nd extended play & Roc Nation Records debut from Vallejo, California emcee LaRussell. For the past 8 years, the man originally known under the moniker Tota has been steadily hustlin’ in the west coast underground by putting out his last 31 EPs along with 5 full-length albums & 7 mixtapes as of me writing this. Personal favorites include the Hit-Boy produced Rent Due, the sequel Rent Paid, the Mike & Keys-produced Party on the Westside & Black Boy Fly. However, he’s having Lil Jon fully producing Something’s in the Water.

“I’m From the Bay” after the “United Bay of America” gets things started with a hyphy beat talking about coming from the northern parts of the sunshine state whereas “Wigglin’” succeeding the titular skit goes for a bit of a g-funk vibe almost counting money until his face turns blue. The synthesizers continue to seep their way through expressing a desire to do “More for Me” & after the Marshawn Lynch skit, “Wake Shit Up” reaches the halfway point talking about his involvement in bringing this crunk shit back.

After the “Chuy Gomez” skit, Kalan.FrFr joins LaRussell to moderately recall a “Hot Summer Night” out in the west coast while “Get Off Me” does a better job at maintaining the hyphy vibes talking about how saucy he is. “I Got Flavor” instrumentally keeps throwing it back to ‘06 when “Blow the Whistle” became amongst Too $hort’s most celebrated singles once again boasting his distinctiveness, but then “You’ve Reached LaRussell’s Phone” turns out to be the 5th & final skit.

“How Far Can You Go?” winds down the final minutes of Something’s in the Water posing that very question to the world & further elaborating the reality of those who don’t put in any effort never knowing if they’ll achieve any art of success until Malachi appears on the outro, helping the leader of the Good Compenny collective in making the kind of music that would make a “Thug Cry” & having a heart full of regret soon as the doves start soaring in the air even if his feature wasn’t much better than Kalan’s.

Something’s in the Water marks a full circle moment after LaRussell was listening to “Tell Me When to Go”by E-40 featuring Keak da Sneak or the previously mentioned $hort Dog single “Blow the Whistle” on the radio 2 decades ago, getting Lil Jon to snap out of that whole guided meditation phase he was in the middle of a couple years ago & nostalgically celebrating his hometown for a hyphy-lenient Roc Nation debut although neither of the guests stuck out in addition to the amount of skits being unnecessary. Can’t forget him concerningly saying that Jeffrey Epstein was “heaven sent” during a set.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!