Miley Cyrus – “Something Beautiful” review

Miley Cyrus is a 32 year old singer/songwriter, actress & director from Franklin, Tennessee breaking out as the older sister of Noah Cyrus & the 2nd eldest daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus. Achieving greater success as the titular character on the The Walt Disney Company-owned Disney Channel teen sitcom Hannah Montana, her first 3 LPs Meet Miley Cyrus alongside Breakout & Can’t Be Tamed under Hollywood Records were equally met with mixed or negative reception. Same goes with The Time of Our Lives. Her debut for RCA Records during my junior year of high school Bangerz was when her music started to improve since I prefer songs like “#GetItRight” produced by The Neptunes over it’s biggest hit “Wrecking Ball”. Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz became a polarizing take on neo-psychedelia & psychic pop even with The Flaming Lips’ involvement, Younger Now went for a mid country pop direction aside from a DJ Premier remix of the title track, She’s Coming missed the landing with R&B & electropop and Plastic Hearts was a decent way to fulfill her RCA contract following her divorce from Liam Hemsworth of the mid A24 Films thriller Cut Bank. Moving over to Columbia Records, her debut for them Endless Summer Vacation once again divided public opinion & the high praise her 9th full-length album has been getting made me want to hear it to believe it.

“Prelude” has gotta be one of the boldest lead singles to a body of work that I’ve heard in a long time since it’s spoken word poetry over an epic post-minimalistic & progressive electronic instrumental until the title track goes full gear drawing from art rock, psychedelic soul, psychedelic rock, smooth soul, jazz-rock & experimental rock desiring something beautiful lasting eternity.

Pop rock, Europop, new wave, psychedelic pop, soft rock & big music all collide on “End of the World” suggesting that we should be making the best of our final moments if the apocalypse were to happen leading into “More to Lose” maintains a steady cross between soft rock, adult contemporary, piano rock & art pop singing about not wanting to be interrupted ore overthinking of chasing perfection.

“Easy Lover” after the first of 2 interludes was actually conceived during the Plastic Hearts sessions fusing country, rock & pop addressing the emotional addiction to a complicated relationship but after the other interlude, “Golden Burning Sun” turns up the soft rock influences employing themes of devotion. “Walk of Fame” featuring Brittany Howard is a synthpop duet singing about what it’s like for he to be at her level of international superstardom just before “Pretend You’re God” yearns to have that person in her life who’ll make her their everything.

The song “Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved” featuring Naomi Campbell blends funk & pop together for another duet asking if they’re pretty enough for more than fun in the dark while “Reborn” experiments with meshing trance music & pop together for a spiritual enlightenment ode inspired after she & Greg Aldae sat at church together one day. “Give Me Love” as a closer heavily builds itself around synthesizers instrumentally singing that heaven & terror both await behind the curtain while “Secrets” starts the deluxe run by forgiving her father. The final bonus track “Lockdown” finishes with a 13 & a half minute 2-parter singing about a relationship on the lowkey.

Never thought I’d see the day where I’d actually being saying any of what you’re gonna read in this paragraph, but here we are! Regardless of Bangerz always holding a place in my heart as time goes on, I can’t say that I’ve would’ve NEVER thought I’d hear Miley surpass it in terms of cohesiveness until Something Beautiful. Inspired by Pink Floyd’s iconic 11th album The Wall, it’s heavy concept centered around healing from trauma on top of finding beauty in life’s darkest moments & reconciliation of lost time heavily dabbling with pop rock, art rock, electro-disco, dance-pop, soft rock, neo-psychedelia, spoken word, poetry, epic music, post-minimalism, progressive electronic, psychedelic soul, psychedelic rock, smooth soul, jazz-rock, experimental rock, adult contemporary, piano rock, art pop, Europop, new wave, psychedelic pop, big music, synthpop & a small dose of country blows everything she’s done out the water.

Score: 4.5/5

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Central C – “Can’t Rush Greatness” review

Ladbroke Grove, London, England, United Kingdom rapper & singer/songwriter Central C putting out his sophomore effort & major label debut as the we approach the end of the first month in the new year. After putting out a total of 4 EPs & a couple mixtapes in addition to his Split Decision collab EP he & Dave did, the 2023 XXL Freshman Class member has seen fit to sign with Columbia Records for him to make his proper introduction reminding that you Can’t Rush Greatness.

“No Introduction” is this UK drill intro talking about women tryna pretend as if they don’t know who he is already whereas “5 Star” reflects upon his come-up in the rap game. “Gata” featuring Young Miko apologizes for not answering sooner due to spending life & time while the money-hungry “St. Patrick’s” samples “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” by the almighty Wu-Tang Clan talking about being in the trap house getting his funds up & beef going hand-to-hand in hip hop.

21 Savage joins C on the 3rd single “GBP” highlighting the contrasts between the 2 artists’ roots & dealing with the struggles of street life while “Top” premeditates a graceful exit in the midst of trying to maintain. “Up North” maintains a UK drill flare talking about the life we live being as hostile as it already is, but then “CRG” featuring Dave finds the pair encouraging everyone to slow down with the greatness because it has to take time looking back on going from financial hardships to riches.

“Limitless” produced by Einer Bankz balances ambition & emotional burdens by tackling the internal conflict between wanting to escape his past & the sacrifices required to achieve financial success just before “Now We’re Strangers” tells an ex of his that he hopes she finds her way back home. “Truth in the Lies” featuring Lil Durk flips “So Sick” by Ne-Yo admitting to feeling suicidal without their partners’ love while “10” featuring Skepta boasts that they’re in UK top 3 every year.

Lil Baby accompanies C for “BAND4BAND” dropping braggadocio together while “Gen Z Luv” serves as an open letter to Madeline Argy. The song “Walk in Wardrobe” is a 2-parter promising to do it all again if he goes broke while “Must Be” talks about what his definition of “real” is. “Don’t Know Anymore” closes C’s debut doing more than 10,000 hours for him to get into the position that he’s at currently.

On those earlier mixtapes, he was living in the same house he grew up in & there were times it was hard to say man’s a musician since he was just a guy that went into the studio sometimes. Now that he’s elevated, he sets out further cement himself as an actual musician following a string of high profile guest appearances from The Kid Laroi to J. Cole & Ice Spice. The production is mostly based in UK drill with some occasional sampling of R&B & even Brazilian funk music.

Score: 3.5/5

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Glokk40Spaz – “Slaughter House Recordz” review

This is the 2nd EP Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Glokk40Spaz. Emerging off the Don’t Get Took Off mixtape trilogy & the debut EP Spaz&B, he would also go on to drop his very first LP 2 Glokks followed by the sophomore effort Baby Whoa with both of them receiving quite a bit of acclaim. Took the Biggest Risk distributed by Columbia Records was a great major label debut for EBG Records founder, as was the acclaimed collab EP with OsamaSon earlier this summer 3vil Reflection & his latest magnum opus Da Real Oso. However, what was intended to be a deluxe version of his latest album has morphed into Slaughter House Recordz.

“Welcome 2 da Slaughter” produced by Internet Money Records in-house producer Vendr is this eerie drill opener breaking down his lifestyle whereas the rage-inducing “Decoy” boasts that he’s self-employed & rich as a muhfucka. “3rd Day Out” maintains a hypertrap vibe talking about being home from the pen for 3 days just before the drill-sounding “Take It Up with God” once again shows off his mob ties.

The song “Vicinity” talking about hoes being around him taking risks & bitches at the exact same time leading into “Black Rose Nightmare” hopping over another rage beat from Dylvinci flexing that he’s cool with the heat despite how cold his diamonds are. Finally, the closing track “Yess” rounds out the EP showing off his money being tall as fuck keeping his whole entire block on lockdown.

All 7 of these cuts could’ve easily made it onto Da Real Oso & would’ve fit with the context of it, but I’m not mad at him making it into a separate entity of it’s own. Even if I think the production on the latter is a tad bit better, Glokk40 still undeniably makes some aggressively hungry performances in roughly 17 minutes continuing to hold off from having any guests joining him.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tyler, The Creator – “Chromakopia” review

Ladera Heights emcee, singer/songwriter, producer, actor, visual artist, designer & comedian Tyler, The Creator releasing his 7th full-length studio LP on a Monday to start off the Halloween 2024 week. Blowing up about 15 years ago as the de facto leader of Odd Future, his evolution both artistically & personally since the collective’s disbandment in 2015 has truly been amongst the most fascinating ones I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime going from the bratty edginess of Bastard & Goblin to the undeniable maturity & versatility shown on Flower Boy & Igor. T’s last album Call Me If You Get Lost happened to be his best lyrically and a year & a half after The Estate Sale EP, we’re now entering Chromakopia.

“St. Chroma” produced with Inflo introduces us to the titular character representing where Tyler’s at personally & artistically pulling from experimental hip hop, west coast hip hop, industrial hip hop, neo-soul & neo-psychedelia whereas “Rah Tah Tah” throws it back to the Cherry Bomb era instrumentally talking about how she ain’t ever meet anyone like him. “Noid” mixes experimental hip hop, psychedelic rock, west coast hip hop, zamrock, rap rock, neo-soul, hardcore hip hop, psychedelic soul & neo-psychedelia tackling themes of paranoia prior to “Darling, I” sampling “Vivrant Thing” by Q-Tip to talk about him continuing to fall in love.

As for “Hey Jane”, we have T over this calming beat imagining what it would be like if his romantic partner Jane got pregnant even though neither of them were anticipating the pregnancy just before the colorful “I Killed You” breaks free from external pressures, toxic relationships, or outdated versions of himself. “Judge Judy” breaks down the story of a fleeting relationship with a woman named Judy bringing a nostalgic summer atmosphere to the table just before “Sticky” featuring Glorilla, Lil Wayne & Sexyy Red flips “Get Buck” by Young Buck explaining how shit’s getting out here.

“Take Your Mask Off” hooks up these prominent synthesizers & pianos hoping listeners find themselves while “Tomorrow” goes for a minimal sound altogether addressing his fear of aging. “Thought I Was Dead” featuring ScHoolboy Q & additional mixing from Romil Hemnani fuses hardcore hip hop, west coast hip hop, experimental hip hop, industrial hip hop, aquacrunk, fanfare & grime for a boisterous manifesto of his mentality later addressing people criticizing him for what he said about Columbia Records labelmate Ian during his SpringHill interview although the mixed reception of Goodbye Horses proved his point.

The pianos that start “Like Him” ahead of the psychedelic influences kicking in during the other half are stunning feeling like he’s chasing a ghost & wanting to know if he looks like his father while “Balloon” featuring Doechii samples “I Wanna Rock (Boo Boo)” by 2 Live Crew leader Uncle Luke so they can air this bitch out since both of them are at the top of the room. “I Hope You Find Your Way Home” finishes Tyler’s 4th consecutive classic by talking about vulnerability, self-awareness & personal growth over more synths & pianos while the deluxe run’s sole bonus track “Mother” recalls stories of his mom.

Breaking his traditional 2-year cycle of releasing music, Chromakopia to me is pretty much a mature refinement of Cherry Bomb. The experimentation within his production ventures beyond west coast hip hop in favor of neo-soul, hardcore hip hop, synth-funk, neo-psychedelia, progressive soul, rap rock, zamrock, industrial hip hop, aquacrunk, fanfare & grime so he can battle with the shades of maturity as the once colorful glee of ambition & youth withers away with his maturity. His mother Bonita Smith’s advice throughout keeps Tyler’s “light” alive, guiding him through the greatest hurdles in adulthood.

Score: 4.5/5

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Ian – “Goodbye Horses” review

This is the full-length debut studio album from St. Louis, Missouri rapper/producer Ian. A member the D1shonorable collective, he got his start in 2019 producing the single “Know That” by Izaya Tiji before going on to release 3 EPs of his own: Only for a While, Remembrance & the gyo-produced Empty Suit. Akon’s brother Bu Thiam signed him to his Columbia Records imprint Buvision Entertainment this spring for his previous EP Valedictorian, which received mixed responses although I personally found to have it’s highlights like “Chauncey” & “Magic Johnson”. 5 months later, he’s coinciding with his rival Yeat by dropping Goodbye Horses.

“Showboat” is this futuristic drill opener talking about not knowing what this adversary does even if they do it real good whereas “‘Till I Die” works in some horns & hi-hats brushing off those with their fundamentals down tryna kick it with him. “3.5” takes a cloudier route instrumentally thanks to WondaGurl getting geeked just before the synth-driven “On the Floor” boasts that the gas in his bag could put a man on the moon.

As for “My Call”, the bass gets turned all the way up so Ian can oddly talk about the high road not doing anything except making you a loser leading into “Out West” having probably my favorite beat on the album from Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor of Internet Money Records keeping it true to himself. “Shit Sad” featuring Chief Keef heads for a Chicago drill direction talking about how high they are, but then “End Up Gone” was an mediocre choice of a single promising to die by his homie’s side.

“Older” featuring Reign maintains a cloudy edge taking over the second they got the bag while “Loco” shows off the pieces shipped straight to his front door over more synths. “Hate Me” featuring Lil Yachty was an enjoyable New York drill single showing a tight chemistry from the 2 while “Off That Shit” looks to keep his head in the clouds. The drumless title track featuring Eyesis finishes the LP with both of them taking the highway to the pearly gates.

Ian’s been getting a lot of criticism this year whether it being called an industry plant, a Yeat ripoff, “the new Lil Mabu” & most notably one of my favorite artists Tyler, The Creator accusing him of mocking trap pioneers Future & Gucci Mane during his SpringHill interview although I don’t see a connection to either or. Anyway in regards to Goodbye Horses, I wound up liking it less than Valedictorian. His performances are ok as are a couple of the guests’, but sxprano’s production proves to be much less interesting. “Out West”, “Shit Sad” & “Hate Me” however stand out as some of Ian’s best songs much like “Chauncey” & “Magic Johnson”.

Score: 2.5/5

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Pharrell – “Piece by Piece” Soundtrack Review

This is a brand new soundtrack EP from Virginia producer, singer/songwriter, rapper, fashion designer, film composer, entrepreneur, Billionaire Boys Club/Icecream founder & Louis Vuitton’s creative director for men’s fashion Pharrell. Cementing his legacy as 1/2 of the greatest production duo of all-time The Neptunes alongside Chad Hugo, they would eventually form the side project N*E*R*D with their debut album In Search Of… going on to become a classic inspiring Tyler, The Creator amongst others. Even his 2006 solo debut In My Mind would become one of the most underrated albums ever made, even though he’s discredited it himself as “being written out of ego”. G I R L during my junior year of high school received mixed reception although I personally still enjoy the pop soul/contemporary R&B vibe of it pay tribute to all the women in his life (Case in point: “Lost Queen / Freq”). He celebrated his 51st birthday in the midst of an ongoing lawsuit with Chad over the Neptunes trademark by releasing his 3rd mixtape Black Yacht Rock: City of Limitless Access on an exclusive website possibly in response to James Blake’s recent comments in regards to streaming & coincided the release of his new LEGO biopic Piece by Piece that I saw earlier tonight by putting together 5 new tracks.

After the colorful “It’s Happening” intro, the title track is a synth funk/pop soul crossover with additional instrumentation from Brent Paschke of the former Star Trak Entertainment power pop act Spymob on electric guitar & even the Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers where Pharrell himself graduated in 1992 singing about how good it felt for his hard work to pay off whereas “Virginia Boy” featuring Tyler, The Creator finds the 2 taking the jazzy boom bap route instrumentally repping Virginia & California respectively.

“L’EGO Odyssey” gives off a heavy triumphant vibe from the horns to the choir vocals in the background thanks to the Budapest Scoring Orchestra & the Voices of Fire respectively, making way for Skateboard to sing about the universe being a university for the soul in addition to being thankful for your dreams & encouraging everyone to build them piece by piece while the 5th & final original song “For Real” ends the soundtrack EP on an upbeat note waiting for some kind of sign like a meteorite or some kind of magic to make him feel real.

Piece by Piece itself was a well-put together biopic with interviews from Pharrell, his former N*E*R*D bandmates Chad & Shae Haley, Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar who Pharrell recently called 2024’s MVP, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, JAY-Z, WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, N.O.R.E., Missy Elliott, his mentor Teddy Riley & 海水浴猿/ヒューマン・メイド founder ニゴー who’s currently gearing up for his upcoming 3rd album 私もニゴを知っています!. Pharrell’s production varies between synth-funk, pop soul, jazz rap, boom bap & orchestral music as opposed to the prominent psychedelic pop/contemporary sounds of Black Yacht Rock further demonstrating his unique versatility.

Score: 4/5

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Glokk40Spaz – “Da Real Oso” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Glokk40Spaz coming off his acclaimed collab EP with OsamaSon earlier this summer 3vil Reflection to release his 4th album. Emerging off the Don’t Get Took Off mixtape trilogy & the debut EP Spaz&B, he would also go on to drop his very first LP 2 Glokks followed by the sophomore effort Baby Whoa with both of them receiving quite a bit of acclaim. Took the Biggest Risk distributed by Columbia Records was a great major label debut for EBG Records founder & is commemorating the 1-year anniversary of the latter by dropping Da Real Oso.

“My Last Breath” is this rage-inducing opener to Glokk40 laced with Four3va shooting the Glock like the Dallas Mavericks brushing off any interest in recruits whereas “Pothead & Stoner” produced by F1LTHY of Working on Dying & OPM BABI who did a lot of the album maintains the hypertrap sound talking about being high as fuck. “505” bombastically warns that shit’ll be getting scary once you enter the trap & “How Vampz Feel” goes plugg thanks to Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic to talk about rolling the dice since the streets be a gamble.

Given by the title, “Let’s Get Active” has an aggressive tone altogether fucking all y’all shit up by himself while “Mystikal Draco’s (Psychotic)” hops over another rage beat talking about his psycho tendencies although the Aaron Rodgers bar felt awkward since his 1st season as a New York Jet lasted as long as former WWE Tag Team Champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Shane McMahon’s return at WrestleMania XXXIX this spring. Very much happy to hear Shane’s son Declan being a RB for the Indiana Hoosiers with NFL potential though.

“Copperhead” keeps the dense, buzzing synth work with repetitive chord progressions & melodic synth leads sliding on the block with the demons later referencing 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena just before “You Not Da Only 1” hunts the opps like animals over synthesizers from Trgc.

The rage gets turned back up once again on “No Español” so he can catch a flip leading into “BLV Anthem” rocks out over more detailed hypertrap production hoppin’ in the whip & cranking that bitch up without a key. Who Don’t Love Money?” dabbles with plugg 1 more time detailing the gangsta lifestyle, but then “I’m Oso Shiesty” wraps things up raging again reaffirming that he really is in fact Da Real Oso.

Almost a year to the day where he Took the Biggest Risk & only 3 months since 3vil Reflection, the 2nd album that Glokk40 has released since joining a major label elevates himself further artistically where I feel like this is his best album to date. His performances are equally cutthroat than they were last September & most importantly, the production mostly handled by F1LTHY consistently sticks the latter’s signature rage sound diverting from Glokk40’s dark plugg roots.

Score: 4/5

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Polo G – “H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma)” review

Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter & record executive Polo G returning for his 5th LP. Rising to prominence in 2019 off his debut album Die a Legend which I personally found it to be decent, it wasn’t until the sophomore effort The GOAT the subsequent spring where I noticed some significant improvements. Hall of Fame & it’s sequel on the contrary were both released to mixed reception in 201 & is looking to redeem himself as the H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. or He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma.

“God’s Favorite” was a decently thunderous trap opener produced by Nick Papz & Allen Ritter starting us off letting us know that’s exactly what he’s feeling like right now whereas “No Recruits” featuring G Herbo has a stronger instrumental that Southside & Smatt Sertified cook up together going Chicago drill telling us how wicked it gets in Chiraq. “Barely Holdin’ On” with co-production from former G.O.O.D. Music in-house producer Noah Goldstein & unfortunately Dr. Luke was a emo pop rap fusion that goes over decently, but then the cloudy/trap crossover “Only Gang” featuring 42 Dugg talks about not fucking with these newer guys.

Fridayy gives “Same Me” a moodier feeling reassuring everyone that he’s still the same guy as he was when he first blew up leading into the twangy trap vibes of “Detox” talking about falling in love with the Glock & needing to do exactly that after taking in too much fake love in recent years. “Thorns” has a catchier trap flare generally needing a light for his dark soul just before “G63” featuring Offset heading for a psychedelic direction pullin’ up jumpin’ out the titular whip.

“We Uh Shoot” featuring Lil Durk fusing gangsta rap & trap together reaffirming that both of them stay carrying sticks while “Rain Fallin’” featuring The Kid Laroi stands as one of the weaker moments on the album further embracing the emo influences from earlier although Kid Laroi’s take on it still rubs off as tacky. “Distraction” picks things back up with what I thought was an incredible lead single from the acoustic trap production to Polo calling out those discrediting his talent & “No Turning Back” featuring Hunxho cavernously explains making it this far.

Easily the weakest single of the rollout has to be “Angels in the Sky” due to it’s horrendous mixing, which is a shame because the overall theme of it comes from a good place & “Darkside” once again makes up for it this time by telling us his mental state in 2020 when both installments of the Hall of Fame series came over pianos & hi-hats. “Bad Kids” featuring Glorilla keeps the keys together swapping the hi-hats out in favor of 808s telling us who they hung around growing up while “Survival of the Fittest” featuring Future goes drill saying that’s what it’s like in the trenches.

“Father’s Day” nears the final moments of H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma) with Cubeatz helping Allen Ritter & Southside provide a delicate trap atmosphere serving as an open letter to Polo’s own father knowing that he’s forever here for him that is until “From the Heart” ends Polo’s return-to-form hopping over a roomy beat telling the world that from this point forward, he’s only writing songs if it comes from the heart rather than ego. I even like the reference to the greatest WWE superstar ever; Hall of Famer, 7-time world champion & 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker.

Right when people had already started assuming he had fallen off, Polo G returns to the fore with more life experience & rededicated to spitting about what he knows best: unflinching narratives of pain & pleasure, hood parables & romantic woes. The production has gradually improved from the 2 offerings from 4 years ago, most of the features nailed their contributions & Polo’s own versatility game has gradually stepped up.

Score: 3.5/5

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Chlöe – “Trouble in Paradise” review

Chlöe is a 26 year old singer/songwriter, producer & actress from Atlanta, Georgia coming up as 1/2 of the duo Chlöe x Halle with Halle Bailey. Introducing themselves in 2018 when Beyoncé signed them to Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records for their decent debut album The Kids Are Alright, the Bailey sisters’ sophomore effort Ungodly Hour in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns would prove to be their most acclaimed body of work yet & have since been focusing on their solo careers. In contrast to Halle having yet to release her solo debut, Chlöe’s own debut In Pieces received mixed responses & is looking to have Trouble in Paradise top it.

“All I Got (Free Falling)” has a bare gospel-influenced beat from Bongo to get the ball rollin’ wishing she & her ex could start all over whereas “Might as Well” featuring Ty$ fresh off ¥$’ sophomore album Vultures 2 last Saturday morning coming together for a soulful duet singing about texting each other at 2am. “Boy Bye” fuses pop, contemporary R&B, 2-step, alt-pop & dance-pop thanks to Rogét Chahayed for anyone who needs to get rid of someone toxic and draining from their life just before “Redemption” catchily sings that she’s not being too big on the titular act herself.

Meanwhile on “Temporary Single”, we have Chlöe over a predominantly acoustic sound assuring that she briefly doesn’t have a man at the current moment while the intoxicating trap soul cut “Rose” talks about becomin’ alone & not meeting another man like the one she has now. “Favorite” featuring & produced by Anderson .Paak stands out as infectious R&B duet not tryna buy into favoritism, but then the syrupy “Same Lingerie” sings about needing some time to herself.

Lauryn Hill’s son YG Marley joins Chlöe for the dancehall/R&B crossover “Never Let You Go” finding both partners refusing to let go of one another while “Want Me” by Chlöe x Halle hops over acoustics as well as hi-hats & snapping fingers asking why everything in their past relationships changed. The piano-driven “Moments” sings that she has true love for her ex due to all the memories they have together while “F.Y.S. (Fuck Your Status)” blends trap soul & alternative R&B discussing one’s social status.

“Nice Girls Finish Last” atmospherically starts the final leg of Trouble in Paradise singing about intercourse while “Strawberry Lemonade” experiments with a nu disco R&B sound talking about having the sugar for her partner. “Shake” featuring Jeremih goes from the nu disco undertones of the previous track to prominent house influences throwing that ass back & “Somebody” wraps up the album with an empowering pop ballad feelin’ like she needs someone.

She & Halle already earned my respect when Ungodly Hour came over 4 years ago, so I figured that Trouble in Paradise had to improve on the moderately received debut & it’s certainly a more consistent showcasing of what Chlöe’s capable of doing by herself. It’s a summer fling & coming-of-age celebration of being a woman having fun & not taking life too seriously pulling from pop, contemporary & alternative R&B, pop soul, pop rap, afropiano, trap soul, dancehall, nu disco, 2-step, alt-pop & dance-pop.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ian – “Valedictorian” review

This is the 4th EP from up-&-coming rapper/producer Ian of the D1shonorable collective. Somebody that got his start in 2019 producing the single “Know That” by Izaya Tiji before going on to release 3 EPs of his own: Only for a While, Remembrance & the gyo-produced Empty Suit. For the past few months however, he’s been going viral off a couple singles to the point of landing a contract with Akon’s brother Bu Thiam’s very own Columbia Records imprint Buvision Entertainment & further building off the recent hype to put out Valedictorian.

After the DJ Holiday intro, the first song “Never Stop” is a playful trap opener to the tape refusing to quit under any circumstances whereas “Bentayga” works in some synths & hi-hats detailing the luxurious lifestyle. “Airbnb” vibrantly brushes off any tough talk that comes his way & throwing a hoe a bag if she shows him something leading into “Hermes Sheets” giving me a heinous atmosphere instrumentally continuing to show off his wealth. “Omakase” talks about busting his ass day & night like KiD CuDi referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage over a synth-laced trap beat while “Chauncey” might be favorite track from the cloudy instrumental from Galactic Records signee tana to the lyrics referencing former Detroit Pistons player Chauncey Billups.

“Judgement” flexes that he’s too rich to entertain chumps over minimal synthesizers & hi-hats, but then “Grand Slam” has these rage-inducing undertones boasting that his hermano crazy about the pollo similarly to my favorite show of all-time Breaking Bad. The EP’s final song & lead single “Figure It Out” just so happens to be the very first song of Ian’s that I ever heard carrying over the minimal hypertrap influences from “Grand Slam” as I had previously mentioned including a reference to the Batman franchise owned by the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment. The first bonus cut “Options” keeps the rage going talking about his neck changing the weather & the other “Magic Johnson” produced by Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor becoming another standout passing bread like the Lakers player.

Being already somewhat familiar with the D1 crew since Fakekickin’ just fully produced the new Moh Baretta mixtape RE:VAMP over a week ago, Ian here has been catching my interest for a few weeks as a result of Valedictorian’s final 2 tracks continuing to grow in popularity & he might even be my new favorite member. He properly introduces himself to a wider audience whilst maintaining the plugg/rage elements of his earlier EPs, further solidifying himself as an exciting new face in both subgenres.

Score: 3.5/5

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