2 Chainz – “Red Clay” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper 2 Chainz finally releasing his 7th studio LP. Coming up as 1/2 of the duo Playaz Circle, they eventually signed to Disturbing tha Peace Records & Def Jam Recordings in the 2000s releasing only 2 albums. He eventually ventured off into a solo career, with the biggest standouts being Pretty Girls 👍 TRΛP MUSIC & Rap or Go to the League. He recently teamed up with Larry June for the collaborative effort Life is Beautiful produced by The Alchemist & has dropped a soundtrack to his new short film.

“Mutual Bonds” was a great drumles intro produced by STREETRUNNER talking about only fucking with people who fuck with him whereas “Not the Same” samples “Silly Love Song” by Enchantment explaining that some things have changed with him in his life. “Thought You Loved Me” fuses chipmunk soul & trap suggesting one would laugh if he was struggling at the moment just before “Sista Wives” featuring Lil Yachty talks about people not respecting them over a Buddah Bless instrumental, which in Yachty’s case is bad timing because of his recent PlaqueBoyMax stream.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again provides the weakest guest appearance on “I Wanna Win” despite the 30 Roc beat & the desire they express of wanting to catch Ws leading into the drumless chipmunk soul crossover “Flow Switcha” talking about his success invoking people. “Free” featuring Vory finds the pair calling for all their incarcerated homies to be let out & once “Deadbeat Moms” talks about those specific kind of mothers being at an all-time high, “The ATL Experience” ends with a tribute to his city sampling The Isley Brothers.

Some of the teasers that we got building up towards Red Clay had me hoping that it was gonna be an improvement from 2 Chainz’ final Def Jam offering Dope Don’t Sell Itself, but his inaugural solo release under The Real U Records’ new distribution deal with none other than EMPIRE honestly reached the same level of mediocrity. It actually starts off stronger than I would’ve thought & I’d like it a lot more if he condensed it down to the first half since those’re the most salvageable tracks of the bunch, the 2nd leg of it is really where the album starts to fall apart.

Score: 2.5/5

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Lil Wayne – “Tha Carter VI” review

New Orleans, Louisiana emcee, singer/songwriter, record executive & entrepreneur Lil Wayne continuing one of his most beloved sagas on his 14th studio LP. Signing to Cash Money Records at the very age of 9, he would go on to become 1/2 of The B.G.’z as well as 1/4 of the Hot Boy$ & 1/6 of the Cash Money Millionaires. His first 3 solo albums Tha Block is Hot, Lights Out & 500 Degreez were average at best but we then found him improving in the mid 2000’s with Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, Dedication, Dedication 2, Da Drought 3 & my personal favorite Tha Carter III. He then started his own label Young Money Entertainment & followed his magnum opus up with a God awful “rock” album Rebirth along with the mediocre I Am Not a Human Being. He was able to bounce back in 2011 with Tha Carter IV, but things looked rough once again with the horrendous I Am Not a Human Being II in 2013 & then being entangled in legal issues with Cash Money from 2014-2018. Wayne eventually broke free from Birdman & was able to release Tha Carter V in 2018 to celebrate his 36th birthday returning to form. Funeral however was a step-down in comparison & Tha Carter VI has finally come over 5 years later.

After the “King Carter” intro, the first song “Welcome to Tha Carter” was a soulful boom bap intro eating rappers he’s already heard as if they’re appetizers whereas “Bells” samples “Rock the Bells” by LL Cool J to boast how hot he’s been on the mic for 2 decades almost. “Hip Hop” featuring Jay Jones works in a trap instrumental from Infamous & Einer Bankz with a vocal sample for a representation of the culture that I’d like more without Jay’s verse while “Sharks” featuring Big Sean & Jelly Roll finds the trio talking about snakes not always hiding in the grass over a guitar-based beat from Boi-1da.

“Banned from New Orleans” featuring Nicki Minaj on the remix gets in their dirty south bag flexing that they’re sellin’ chromes to bricks out here leading into “The Days” recalling being in a hospital bed after one of the countless epileptic seizures he’s had since childhood blending rap rock & boom bap together. “Cotton Candy” by ColleGrove interestingly fuses jazz, trap & pop rap all into 1 for a collab that’s primarily compared to most of what was on Welcome to ColleGrove even with the reference to former IWGPヘビー級王座 as well as a 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions Brock Lesnar just before “Flex Up” continues with a mildly boastful cloud rap cut.

One of my least favorites easily has to be “Island Holiday” & not because of the subject matter of getting away on vacation, but rather because of the performances heavily slathered in auto-tune. “Loki’s Theme” turns up the rap rock influences courtesy of DJ Clue? of all people to my surprise talking about getting it out the mud while the acoustic “If I Played Guitar” throws it back to “How to Love” down to the sung vocals a little except not as good.

“Peanuts 2 N Elephant” links up with Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame for a spiritual successor to “6 Foot 7 Foot” featuring Cory Gunz with what sounds like a Crash Bandicoot level while “Rari” hops over a joyous trap instrumental from Wheezy talking about driving around Los Angeles in a sports car. “Maria” featuring Wyclef Jean hooks up an opera sample from the latter discussing a party girl waking up in the underworld while “Bein’ Myself” stays true to himself over a soulful Mannie Fresh beat.

The song “Mula Komin’ In” featuring Wayne’s son Lil Novi has little to no presence from Weezy F. Baby other than his verse at the backend of it although I very much appreciate what he was trying to do giving more exposure to Novi’s own music career while “Alone in the Studio with a Gun” featuring Kodak Black & MGK sticks out as the worst collab here since Young Money General washes both of the guests on it. “Written History” finishes C6 with spoken word passages from the late WWE Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali speaking on his legacy in hip hop while “Momma Don’t Worry” featuring Lil Baby advises their mothers not to stress out since they birthed real ones over an ATL Jacob instrumental.

Some will argue that him signing Drake & Nicki has tainted Wayne’s legacy considering “Big Foot” & “The Heart 6” have both been mocked equally as much as “Ghoulish”, to which I understand completely. Anyway, I went into Tha Carter VI with fingers crossed that it would reach the level of quality as Tha Carter V did 7 years ago & it makes me sad to call this the weakest installment of the series. Weezy can very much rap his ass off & I won’t deny that, my issues are more towards some of the guests & production choices.

Score: 1.5/5

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ColleGrove – “Welcome 2 ColleGrove” review

ColleGrove is a southern hip hop duo consisting of Atlanta, Georgia rapper & songwriter 2 Chainz as well as New Orleans, Louisiana emcee, singer/songwriter, record executive & entrepreneur Lil Wayne. Both of whom have known each other since Tity Boi was Weezy’s weedman, which lead to Wayne appearing on the Playaz Circle’s debut album Supply & Demand and the rest is history. They eventually formed ColleGrove in 2016 & put out a decent eponymous debut album that same year, but was credited as a 2 Chainz solo effort due to Tunechi’s issues with Cash Money Records at the time. So it makes absolute sense to me for ColleGrove to put out a sophomore effort & be properly credited as a duo.

After the titular intro, the first song “G6” starts off the 2nd LP with an underwhelming trap instrumental despite the lyrics justifiably boasting themselves as the realest ones here whereas “Big Diamonds” featuring 21 Savage picks things up from the ratchet Mannie Fresh beat to the subject matter about being big dogs. “Presha” works in some whistling & hi-hats courtesy of Bangladesh looking to apply pressure of course, but then “Long Story Short” has a more soulful flare thanks to Big K.R.I.T. admitting this life they live are gonna be the death of them.

After the “Duffel Bag Boys” interlude, the horns from Apex Martin & Mike Dean on the official theme song for the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s developmental NXT brand “Millions from Now” are pretty fun talking about not remembering certain people once they become rich leading into the mediocre “Crazy Thick” jumping over a bass-heavy instrumental talking about thick women. “Transparency” strips the drums completely in favor of synths provided by Hitmaka seeking clarity just before “Significant Other” produced by Honorable C.N.O.T.E. & 30 Roc is a 2-parter that’s pretty much ColleGrove’s equivalent to “Life is Good” by Future & Drake except better.

After the “Ladies Man” interlude, “P.P.A. (Pretty Pussy Award)” featuring Fabolous has this sweet vocal sample chop throughout as the trio tell the special women in their life exactly what they deserve while “Oprah & Gayle” featuring Benny the Butcher moves on from the romantic themes in favor of dropping nothing but bars for 5 minutes over an exuberant DJ Toomp beat. Havoc’s sampling throughout “Shame” is absolutely crazy promising to leave your homies’ brains on you that is until “Bars” ruggedly talks about the disease they have.

After the “No Fent” interlude, “Godzilla” featuring Vory asks what’s a gorilla to the titular kaiju with the hi-hats being added after Vory’s sung-verse while “Crown Snatcher” talks about being exactly that over an explosive Murda Beatz instrumental. “Can’t Believe You featuring Rick Ross tackles the theme of untrustworthiness on top of a soulful STREETRUNNER beat & after the “Never Was Lost” interlude, the Dem Jointz-lazed closer “Moonlight” profoundly asks why we don’t run away referencing Mayweather Promotions founder Floyd Mayweather.

Truthfully: I had put ColleGrove eponymous debut on one my top 10 worst albums of 2016 list and it hasn’t grown on me a little bit over the course of the past 7 years since, but Welcome 2 ColleGrove is way more cohesive than the predecessor. The production’s tighter, you get a better look at their chemistry since the original had 2 Chainz solo joints on there & the features all give solid performances along the way.

Score: 4/5

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2 Chainz – “Dope Don’t Sell Itself” review

2 Chainz is a 44 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who came up as 1/2 of the duo Playaz Circle. They eventually signed to Disturbing tha Peace Records & Def Jam Recordings in the 2000s releasing only 2 albums. He eventually ventured off into a solo career, with the biggest standouts being Pretty Girls 👍 TRΛP MUSIC & Rap or Go to the League. Last we heard from him was a little over a year ago with So Help Me God! but after dropping 2 singles last month, Tity Boi is returning in the form of his 6th full-length outing.

“Bet It Back” starts off the whole album with a rubbery bass-line & a sputtering sample talking about working hard to be well made whereas “Pop Music” with Moneybagg Yo & BeatKing comes off as a boring strip club anthem. “Kingpen Ghostwriter” picks things back up as Lil Baby tags along over a symphonic Buddah Bless instrumental talking about money coming in a hurry leading into “Outstanding”, which has a high spirited Hit-Boy beat & lyrics paying tribute to his lifestyle.

Meanwhile on “Neighbors Know My Name”, we have 2 Chainz bastardizing the classic D4L joint “Laffy Taffy” for 2 minutes just before 42 Dugg comes into the picture for “$1M Worth of Game” to talk about how shit can’t change them accompanied by a mediocre Lil Ju instrumental. “Free B.G.” takes a more wavier route with the help of Mannie Fresh obviously calling for the former Hot Boy$ member of the same name to come home, but then “10 Bracelets” has a more feel good tone to it as he & YoungBoy Never Broke Again get materialistic.

“Lost Kings” with Lil Durk has some woozy synthesizers throughout pondering how they’re supposed to breathe if all people do is kill & fight while the song “Caymans” with Swae Lee goes into a more stripped back direction talking about taking care of you & yours if you got something that people wanna see or be a part of. The penultimate track “Vlad TV” with Major Myjah, Stove God Cook$ & Symba finds the trio over a funky ass beat calling out the interview platform for being the feds & “If You Want Me To” just seems like an awkward send-off to the album trying to get seductive.

Coming from someone who’s enjoyed his last 3 albums, I feel like Dope Don’t Sell Itself is slightly above average in comparison & could’ve been a tad bit better. 2 Chainz’ lyricism is absolutely not the problem at all because he’s the been the best he’s ever sounded throughout the past 5 years. The main problems I have with this album are the production & the features being hit or miss.

Score: 3/5

2 Chainz – “So Help Me God!” review

This is the 5th full-length album from Atlanta, Georgia veteran 2 Chainz. Coming up as 1/2 of the duo Playaz Circle, they eventually signed to Disturbing tha Peace Records/Def Jam Recordings in the 2000s & only released 2 albums before venturing off into solo careers. His last 2 outings Pretty Girls 👍 TRΛP MUSIC & Rap or Go to the League have truly become staples in Tity Boi’s career as both of them excellently showcasing his maturity. But after being hyped all year, here we are with the man’s 5th full-length album.

The album starts with “Lambo Wrist”, where 2 Chainz boasts over a wavy instrumental from STREETRUNNER & LilJu. The next song “Grey Area” talks about being old enough to be & do a number of things over a jazzy beat while the track “Save Me” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again sees the 2 talking about being their own worst enemies over a soulful instrumental from Mike WiLL Made-It. The song “Money Maker” finds ColleGrove reuniting to make a decent strip club banger backed by an awesome sample of “Piece of My Love” by Guy while the track “Can’t Go for That” ponders where to draw the line with this woman over an instrumental sampling The Bird & the Bee.

The song “Feel a Way” with Kanye West finds the 2 talking about how God don’t make no mistakes over a nightly beat from Boi-1da & Mike Dean while the track “Quarantine Thick” with Latto sees the 2 paying tribute to all the sexy ladies in the world over an instrumental with a dope piano-loop. The song “Ziploc” with Kevin Gates finds the 2 talking about drug dealing over a monstrous beat while the track “Free Lighter” with Chief Keef & Lil Uzi Vert sees the trio talking about getting hooked up with their dope over a rowdy instrumental from Keef himself.

The song “Toni” talks about how ill this bitch by the same name is over a TM88 beat with some prominent bells while the track “Southside Hov” if you couldn’t tell by the title compares himself to JAY-Z over a climatic instrumental. The song “Vampire” talks about keeping a gun by his car seat over a lavish beat from Cool & Dre while the track “Y.R.B. (Young, Rich & Black)” with Rick Ross finds the 2 talking about what it means to be such over an orchestral instrumental. The penultimate song “Wait for You to Die” talks about how no one cares about you until you’re gone over a David Banner beat with an Alan Lomax sample & then the closer “55 Times” talks about how he’s doing something right over a chilled out instrumental from Dem Jointz.

A lot of cats put out their best work when they’re younger, but 2 Chainz is one of the few instances of an artist getting better as they get older & it’s undeniable. There are a few features in the tracklisting that I could’ve done without, but the personal lyrics are compelling & the production choices are very consistent as well.

Score: 3.5/5

Lil Wayne – “Funeral” review

This is the long-awaited 13th full-length album from New Orleans veteran Lil Wayne. Who signed to Cash Money Records at the age of 9; becoming 1/2 of The B.G.’z, 1/4 of the Hot Boy$ & 1/6 of the Cash Money Millionaires. His first 3 solo albums Tha Block is Hot, Lights Out & 500 Degreez were average at best but we then found him improving in the mid 2000’s with Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, Dedication, Dedication 2, Da Drought 3 & my personal favorite Tha Carter III. He then started his own label Young Money Entertainment & followed his magnum opus up with a God awful “rock” album Rebirth along with the mediocre I Am Not a Human Being. He was able to bounce back in 2011 with Tha Carter IV, but things looked rough once again with the horrendous I Am Not a Human Being II in 2013 & then being entangled in legal issues with Cash Money from 2014-2018. Wayne eventually broke free from Birdman & was able to release Tha Carter V in 2018 to celebrate his 36th birthday. But to end the first month of 2020, Weezy is coming back with Funeral.

The title track that kicks the album off is a proper introduction as Wayne makes numerous references to death over some strings, but then it transitions into a grimy trap beat. The next song “Mahogany” gets braggadocious over a soulful trap beat from Mannie Fresh while the track “Mama Mia” continues to flex over an abrasive beat. The song “I Do It” with Big Sean & Lil Baby sees the 3 describing their work ethics over a bland instrumental while the track “Dreams” talks about his fear of losing it all over an atmospheric instrumental.

The song “Stop Playin’ with Me” speaks for itself over a weary instrumental while the track “Clap for ‘Em” is an ass-shaking anthem with a Jahlil Beats instrumental that sounds vaguely similar to T.I.’s “Ball”, on which he was featured on. The song “Bing James” with Jay Rock sees the 2 showing off over an eerie instrumental as well as a 24-second tribute to the late Kobe Bryant at the start while the track “Not Me” talks about his haters over a somewhat-cloudy StreetRunner beat. The song “Trust Nobody” has a great message about backstabbers & the guitar instrumental is pretty, but Adam Levine’s hook is just ok.

The track “Know You Know” sees ColleGrove getting together to talk about this hoe over a keyboard-inflicted trap beat while the song “Wild Dogs” talks about how much of a savage he is over a luxurious instrumental. The track “Harden” talks about how he isn’t the perfect lover over a grand instrumental while the song “I Don’t Sleep” with Takeoff sees the 2 talks about their grind & I really like the woodwinds in the production.

The track “Sights & Silencers” is an awkward love ballad with The-Dream & a buttery Mike WiLL Made-It instrumental while the song “Ball Hard” with Lil Twist sees the 2 talking about their hustle over an ominous trap beat. The track “Bastard (Satan’s Kid)” reflects about his childhood over a cavernous beat while the song “Get Outta My Head” with the late XXXTENTACION sees the 2 talking about fighting their inner demons & the instrumental has this horror-esque feel that fits in pretty great. Although Wayne’s lyricism gets more annoyingly repetitive on “Piano Trap”, I do like how it lives up to the title as he’s delivering these bars over a trap beat that later switches into a piano instrumental.

The song “Line ‘Em Up” gets confrontational over a Murda Beatz instrumental with an organ & a sample that gets so played out once the joint ends whereas the track “Darkside” talks about going to war over a grim instrumental. The song “Never Mind” compares himself to that of a pimp over a mellow acoustic instrumental & while the penultimate track “T.O. (Terrell Owens)” talks about selling coke over this lifeless trap beat, the O.T. Genesis feature is the most awkward part about it easily. Then the album ends with “Wayne’s World”, where Weezy talks about partying hard over a rubbery instrumental.

I thought Lil Wayne redeemed himself with Dedication 6 & Tha Carter V, but this was SUPER disappointing. He still has his passionate & witty moments on here, but it’s overloaded with filler & the production choices are pretty weak as well. If this is the way he’s going out, then I’d say it’s a mediocre one.

Score: 2/5

2 Chainz – “Rap or Go to the League” review

2 Chainz is a 41 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who came up as 1/2 of the duo Playaz Circle. They eventually signed to Disturbing tha Peace Records & Def Jam Recordings in the 2000s releasing only 2 albums. He eventually ventured off into a solo career, with his previous album Pretty Girls 👍 TRΛP MUSIC easily being his most mature work yet. But almost a couple years later, he’s back with the long-awaited follow-up.

The album kicks off with “Forgiven”, where Tity Boi gets spiritual over a trap beat with some beautifully alluring background vocals. The next song “Threat 2 Society” vents about not getting the credit he deserves over a pretty 9th Wonder instrumental while the track “Money in the Way” is a boring diatribe about this chick even though I like the triumphant beat. The song “Statue of Limitations” reflects on his drug dealing days over a bass heavy beat from 30 Roc while the song “High Top Versace” with Young Thug sees the 2 getting braggadocious over a disappointingly bland beat. The track “Whip” talks about going back to drug dealing over a WondaGurl beat with a dark atmosphere to it while the song “NCAA” of course talks about hustling over an eerie Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental.

The song “Momma I Hit a Lick” with Kendrick Lamar of course has perfectly vivid storytelling accompanied with a Pharrell instrumental kin to “Amazing” off of T.I.’s 2010 album No Mercy while the track “Rule the World” is a smooth ode to his ride or die chick over a luxurious instrumental. The song “Girl’s Best Friend” talks about diamonds over a vintage West Coast instrumental from Cardo while the track “2 Dollar Bill” sees ColleGrove teaming up with E-40 to deliver a dime a dozen club banger with a dime a dozen DJ Mustard beat. The song “I Said Me” is all about how real he is over a nondescript beat while the penultimate track “I’m Not Crazy, Life Is” with Chance the Rapper & Kodak Black talks about how he’s never changed over a somber trap beat. The album then finishes with “Sam”, which gets conscious over a druggy beat.

To be honest, this is neck & neck with Tity Boi’s previous album. Sure some of the beats are generic, but it’s just as mature as last time on all fronts. Makes me really happy to see him continuing to progress as an artist & flexing his lyrical prowess a bit more.

Score: 3.5/5

Lil Wayne – “Tha Carter V” review

Lil Wayne is a LEGENDARY rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana who was signed to Cash Money Records at the very age of 9. He then got started as 1/2 of The B.G.’z, 1/4 of the Hot Boy$ & 1/6 of the Cash Money Millionaires. His first 3 solo albums Tha Block is Hot, Lights Out & 500 Degreez were average at best but we then found him improving in the mid 2000’s with Tha Carter, Tha Cater II, Dedication, Dedication 2, Da Drought 3 & my personal favorite Tha Carter III. He then started his own label Young Money Entertainment & followed his magnum opus up with a God awful “rock” album Rebirth along with the mediocre I Am Not a Human Being. He was able to bounce back in 2011 with Tha Carter IV, but things looked rough once again with the horrendous I Am Not a Human Being II in 2013 & the legal issues that’s been tangled in with Cash Money for the past 4 years. But now that he’s free from Birdman, he’s finally delivering his long-awaited 12th full-length album to celebrate being the sole owner of Young Money.

After the 2 minute spoken word intro, we go into the first song “Don’t Cry”. Here, Weezy talks about the afterlife over an atmospheric beat & the posthumous XXXTENTACION vocals on the hook don’t sound that bad at all. The track “Dedicate” is about his influence on today’s hip hop landscape over a trap beat with some plinky keys, the sampling of the 2 Chainz song with the same name as the hook was pretty cool as was the reference to The Walt Disney Company-owned Marvel.

The song “Uproar” is filled with clever battle bars & while I kinda feel like Swizz Beatz’ heavily sampling of the classic G. Dep song “Special Delivery” was too much, it does do it’s job. The track “Let It Fly” with Travis Scott is a modern day club banger with a moody beat with both parties complimenting each other very well while the song “Can’t Be Broken” is a middle finger to his haters over a piano & a BEAUTIFUL vocal sample.

“Dark Side of the Moon” is a romance anthem over a moody beat that works pretty well & I actually find Nicki Minaj’s singing throughout the 2nd half to be pretty empowering. The song “Mona Lisa” is about unfaithful women over an atmospheric beat & the Kendrick Lamar verse really makes it hard to decide who outrapped who. Especially with lines like “They started French kissing so he didn’t see moi” as well as that one about waking up to The Great Gatsby & then dogging it like Lassie.

The track “What About Me” is a dedication to his ride or die chick over a decent moody trap beat & even the Sosamann verse doesn’t really do much for me personally. The perfectly-titled “Open Letter” is Wayne venting to the listener over a spacey beat with punchy drums while the song “Famous” is a piano ballad reflecting on the Lil Wayne’s feelings of fame & the hook from his daughter Reginae Carter worked out much better than I had anticipated.

“Problems” talks about the issues he’s having with this woman over a bass-heavy Zaytoven instrumental while the song “Dope Niggaz” talks about growing up in the streets over a banger beat that constantly from that I to a killer sample of the classic Dr. Dre track “Xxplosive”. WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s hook is charismatic too, but I really wish he had verse. The track “Hittas” talks about having shooters over a chilling vocal sample & the song “Took His Time” picks up where the previous joint left off albeit in a more introspective fashion over a trap beat with some piano chords & harmonious background vocals.

“Open Safe” sees Weezy flexing & it’s not bad, but the DJ Mustard instrumental sounds like any other instrumental that you’d hear from the guy. The song “Start This Shit Off Right” sounds like a vintage Early 2000’s club banger down to the Mannie Fresh instrumental & the Ashanti hook while the track “Demon” vents about all the demons in his life over a soulful trap beat from Cool & Dre. The track “Mess” is pretty much A Day in the Life of Lil Wayne over an spacey acoustic trap instrumental that’s very pretty while the song “Dope New Gospel” sees talking to himself in a mirror over a celebratory trap beat & the hook from Wayne’s ex-fiancé Nivea is beautiful.

The track “Perfect Strangers” is about switching women over an a trap beat from Mannie Fresh with somber piano chords while the song “Used 2” talks about his evolution over a spacey beat from non other than Metro Boomin’. The album ends beautifully with “Let It All Work Out”, which has a prominent Sampha sample throughout. Also, the final verse where Wayne recalls a suicide attempt at age 12 is damn-near heart-wrenching.

It’s been a long time coming but at the end, this was a strong return to form for Lil Wayne. I was a bit worried given that we’ve had many disappointing 20+ track albums this year, but the production is his best in years & Wayne himself has A LOT to say throughout it’s 87 minute runtime. It’s very remarkable & refreshing to hear him at his strongest in years after he went through so much. Welcome back, Weezy!

Score: 4/5

2 CHΛINZ – “Pretty Girls 👍 TRΛP MUSIC” review

Just a little over a year after dropping the ColleGrove self-titled album with Lil Wayne, Playaz Circle member 2 Chainz is now delivering his 3rd full-length album. The opener “Saturday Night” sees Tity Boi talking about treating every day like it’s a Saturday & the production from Mike WiLL Made-It has these ominous piano keys as well as a KILLER electric guitar throughout. The next song “Riverdale Rd” talks discusses going from grams to Grammys & the beat is eerie, yet very abrasive. The track “Good Drank” with Gucci Mane originally appeared on 2 Chainz’ 3rd EP Hibachi for Lunch back from last October & it’s still as much of a spacey club banger as it was when it first came out then. The Quavo hook doesn’t really bother me at all either, especially with the hilarious Dr. Dre/André 3000 line that pops up near the end of it. The song “4 AM” talks about selling drugs at the titular time & while I do like the murky production that fits the vibe, I was disappointed that Travis Scott only did the hook & a couple adlibs on here. The track “Door Swangin'” goes in about hustlin’ & the atmospheric production isn’t too bad, either. The song “Realize” sees 2 Chainz talking about partying as well as Nicki Minaj dissing Remy Ma over a cloudy-ish beat & I gotta say, Nicki actually went in on this song. Oh, & the “fuck mumble rap” line that 2 Chainz spits at the end of his verse surprised me as well. The track “Poor Fool” has an ambitious tone lyrically & I really love the wind chimes throughout the beat. I’m also happy that Swae Lee only does the hook on this track & he definitely did a decent job at that here. The song “Big Amount” with Drake originally appeared on Tity Boi’s 9th mixtape Daniel Son; Necklace Don from last August & it still sounds as much of a chill braggadocious tune as it originally was then. However, the Drake verse is still average. The track “It’s a Vibe” with Ty$ as well as Trey Songz & Jhené Aiko is a sex banger that really does live up to the title. Especially with the funky guitar on here. The song “Rolls Royce Bitch” talks about believing in yourself & the really smooth guitar passages on here actually make it my 2nd favorite track on the entire album. The track “Sleep When U Die” samples “All I Need” by Lee Fields referencing 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. The song “Trap Check” talks about cashing in checks & buying shit with the money over a sinister beat with some rattling hi-hats. The track “Blue Cheese” has a wavy beat, but the Migos feature is what REALLY kills the vibe for me on here & the 2 Chainz verse at the beginning does it little justice. The song “OG Kush Diet” talks about getting high since his friend passed as well as saying your favorite rapper has no talent (presumably another shot at mumble rap) & I absolutely love the beat change halfway through. The penultimate track “Bailan” is actually my favorite track on the entire album. Not just because of Pharrell’s relaxing production, but also how charismatic Tity Boi sounds on here too. The album then closes out with “Burglar Bars”, where it gets motivational to the listener over an instrumental that compliments the vibe perfectly! Even though I’ve never been a big fan of this guy, this new album of his took me by surprise. The production’s hard as Hell as one would expect, but what got me the most was how 2 Chainz was sounding a lot more interesting me over them this time around. If any of you are like me & didn’t care for his last 2 albums B.O.A.T.S. (Based On A T.R.U. Story) or it’s sequel Me Time all that much, then I HIGHLY recommend checking this new album out because it truly is like night & day

Score: 3.5/5