Bruiser Wolf – “Push & Paint” review

Here is the 5th studio LP from Detroit, Michigan emcee Bruiser Wolf. A member of the Bruiser Brigade collective, his 2021 solo debut Dope Game Stupid would become an experimentally gangsta & comedic gem although the sophomore effort My Story Got Stories was more moderately received a couple years ago. Both of his last couple albums Potluck & Made by Dope produced by Harry Fraud respectively have become his most celebrated material thus far, looking to Push & Paint for 313 Day.

Payroll Giovanni appears on the intro & final single “Hater Not an Opp” explaining that the only thing both of them have on their minds is the product moving in & out prior to Akeem Ali joining Bruiser for the lead single talking about having a “Common Goal” over a Mobb beat. That said, it wasn’t necessarily my favorite teaser of the 3. “Ole Girl” featuring P-Lo finds the 2 asking women if they may have this dance while “Toxic” featuring Sada Baby goes for a hyphy vibe instrumentally talking about all of their bitches being the poisonous type.

The 2nd half begins with this animated beat admitting that he isn’t good with “Numbers” hence why he doesn’t call hoes while “Ask Yourself” featuring GT links up to make people question if they can fuck with the real ones. “Why They Play Me?” featuring Babytron talks about people loving their flows every city they hit up but once “She a Bill” featuring Sheefy McFly himself describes a woman who fit the receipt similarly to a wallet, “Wannabees” concludes Push & Paint takes a dig at those who want to be hip hop’s answer to the Warner Bros.-owned Quick Draw McGraw/Yogi Bear Show character Snagglepuss.

Receiving a huge co-sign from 2-time NBA Champion Kevin Durant this past fall, Bruiser Wolf’s way of celebrating 313 Day is pretty solid even if it doesn’t blow me away the same way Made by Dope or Potluck did. Sheefy McFly’s production here is mainly reminiscent of the Mobb & hyphy west coast hip hop scenes which is cool since I’ve heard some comparisons between him & E-40, except there a couple features I could’ve done without & it does pick up towards the backend of it.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bruiser Wolf – “Made by Dope” review

Detroit, Michigan emcee Bruiser Wolf releasing his 4th studio LP. A member of the Bruiser Brigade collective, his 2021 solo debut Dope Game Stupid would become an experimentally gangsta & comedic gem although the sophomore effort My Story Got Stories was more moderately received 21 months ago. Potluck quickly became his most celebrated work back in May for good reasons & had higher expectations for Made by Dope due to Harry Fraud solely producing it himself.

“Tubi” named after the Fox Corporation’s streaming service of the same name airing new episodes of the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s new secondary developmental brand EVOLVE every Wednesday night with Jackson Drake, Cappucino Jones & Kendal Grey currently reigning as WWE EVOLVE Champion, WWE ID Champion & WWE EVOLVE Women’s Champion works in some soulful sampling to symbolize his diamonds of a rock & a hard place whereas the lead single “Raised by Dope” featuring Benny the Butcher talks about the dope fiends making them who they are today.

We get a bit of a drumlessly jazzy vibe on “Against the Odds” promising that the best from him has only yet to come prior to the 2nd & final single “Eye Owe You”talks about coming from the bottom & things being up from hereon out keeping the drums out of the equation once more. “The Money Say” featuring Mick Jenkins fuses soul & jazz being advised by the paper in their pockets to not play with opps while “My Whole Life” luxuriously talks about repping the 313 for as long as he can remember.

“Connect 4” featuring Curren$y finds the pair flexing that they send people out for cream like dermatologists while “Layup Lines” soulfully talks about getting used to this new world. “The Spaniard” featuring his fellow Bruiser Brigade brethren ZelooperZ refuses handouts because everyone has something to say & after “Boss Up” talks about improving your game, “Heart Broke” closes by saying that he’s enlisted in a 1-man army & that it saddens him whenever the paper comes slowly.

Stemmed from the Potluck sessions after working on “Air Fryer” & “Baby You” respectively, Made by Dope elevates the expansiveness of it’s predecessor 5 months earlier with one of my favorite albums of 2025 & the greatest entry of Bruiser Wolf’s discography yet. His unique flow reminds me of E-40 & Suga Free even though comparisons to the Warner Bros.-owned Quick Draw McGraw/Yogi Bear Show character Snagglepuss have been made on Twitter recently with Harry Fraud’s production perfecting the drumless, jazz rap & chipmunk soul elements from this spring.

Score: 4.5/5

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Bruiser Wolf – “Potluck” review

This is the 3rd full-length studio album from Detroit, Michigan emcee Bruiser Wolf. A member of the Bruiser Brigade collective, his 2021 solo debut Dope Game Stupid would become an experimentally gangsta & comedic gem although the sophomore effort My Story Got Stories was more moderately received 16 months ago. “Rope Chain” last summer is already one of my favorite songs in Bruiser’s whole discography & even if it’s not on Potluck, some of the teasers from it held their own weight.

“Say No More” produced by Knxwledge was a groovy opener that sets the tone of what’s to come talking about this being the reason he’s hated & giving the audience what they’ve been waiting for whereas “Write or Wrong” turns up the funkiness thanking God for the microphone in his hand. “Air Fryer” takes a cloudier, sample-based trap approach thanks to Harry Fraud talking about using that very object to cook up dope while “Beat the Charge” brings a soulful flare to the table courtesy of Nicholas Craven likening his life to a movie.

Jake One hooks up a cloudy trap instrumental during “Lock In” so Bruiser can talk about having to focus leading into “Pee-wee Herman” featuring Chilly Gonzales bringing the 2 together over a quirkier beat flexing that both of them are always grindin’ & servin’. “Offer I Couldn’t Refuse” was a great cloudy trap single that F1LTHY of Working on Dying laced explaining that the street made him a deal so good to the point where he couldn’t turn it down prior to the soulful “Trust Issues” talking about trusting someone who eventually snitched.

“Baby You” shows off his equity & discusses a woman who desires to fuck with a real one over a bare chipmunk soul instrumental from both Harry Fraud & Danny G while “Guns & Squares” featuring Sir Michael Rocks finds the pair talking about fuckin’ with those 2 things in the past until ditching ‘em in favor of boom bap on top of prominent bass-licks. “Fancy” featuring Fat Ray crosses over synth-funk & hip hop referencing The Walt Disney Company-owned FX series Snowfall while “Whippin’” featuring Nebr, The Tiger jazzily talks about the drug game.

The song “Confusing” begins the final moments of Potluck stripping the drums once again venting over the perplexing nature of bitches that’re usually around him & lastly, “Over Looks” luxuriously finishes up the LP telling this women that she’s so much more than looks on top of pointing out the shallow nature of society these days & hoping the message he’s trying to convey doesn’t get disregarded.

Potluck exemplifies of how nobody in the game cooks like Bruiser Wolf as he invites us to a world where truth, absurdity & wisdom are doled out in even portions. Known for his signature voice along with vivid street narratives & off-kilter humor, Bruiser carves out his own space & singular voice further than before with the most expansive album in his discography taking on the sounds of drumless, jazz rap, Detroit trap & chipmunk soul telling the gangsta life.

Score: 4/5

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