SOB x RBE – “Family Not a Group” review

SOB x RBE is a hip hop quartet from Vallejo, California consisting of Slimmy B, Yhung T.O., DaBoii & Lul G. I first caught wind of them last year with the song “Paramedic!”, which was a personal highlight for me on the soundtrack for the near perfect Marvel film Black Panther. They quickly followed this up by releasing their first 2 albums with EMPIRE Distribution entitled GANGIN’ & GANGIN’ 2, but both of them were incredibly average. However after striking a new deal with Def Jam Recordings, they’re now teaming up with Hit-Boy to deliver their 3rd EP.

The opener “Chosen 1” has a spacey instrumental & while I can appreciate the message, it doesn’t even sound fully written. The next track “Both Sides” sees all 4 talking about choosing sides over an eerie bass-heavy trap beat while the song “Stuck in the Streets” gets murderous over a druggy beat while the titular song gets braggadocious over an atmospheric beat.

The track “Can’t Fold” viciously flexes their wealth over a hyphy beat while the song “W.Y.O. (What You On?)” is a buttery, mediocre sex tune. The track “Ran Off wit It” reminisces about all the crazy things they did before the fame over a smooth instrumental while the song “Young Wild Niggas” is self-explanatory & the instrumental is monstrous. The EP then finishes with “Scoring”, where the group celebrates their newfound success over a pretty piano instrumental.

This is EASILY the group’s best outing yet. The production that Hit-Boy brings to the table is more hard hitting than that of SOB x RBE’s last 2 albums & everyone sounds hungrier than ever.

Score: 3.5/5

Logic – “Supermarket” review

Logic is a 29 year old rapper who came up at the beginning of the decade with his Young Sinatra series of mixtapes. His first 2 studio albums Under Pressure & The Incredible True Story showed more promise of his potential, but pretty much everything after that saw him taking a total nosedive. However with a new novel out now, he saw fit to release a new album accompanying it.

The “Bohemian Trapsody” has a pretty acoustic instrumental, but it sounds half-written. The next song “Can I Kick It?” is a buttery bastardization of the iconic Tribe Called Quest song with the same name while the song “Time Machine” is a cringey piano ballad about saving this chick (presumably his ex-wife Jess Andrea). The song “Pretty Young Girl” is a decent acoustic tribute to one of Logic’s Day 1 while the title track insists that he’s not a stalker, but yet he’s obsessing over this chick to the point where he goes to her job just to see her & fantasizes over her constantly. The song “Baby totally ruins Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” while the track “By the Bridge” is pretty much Logic whining about why this woman doesn’t love him over another acoustic instrumental.

The song “Best Friend” is an acoustic love ballad that goes over pretty decently while the track “Lemon Drop” talks about setting this woman free over some funky guitar licking. The song “I’m Probably Gonna Rock Your World” is a hilariously sappy sex tune with a dreamy instrumental from Mac DeMarco of all people while the track “Vacation from Myself” talks about not needing sophistication over a mellow instrumental. The song “DeLorean” is another love ballad filled with Back to the Future & then the closer “I Love You Forever” is pretty much a boring diatribe to Jess.

I don’t know what else to say about this, it’s easily the worst thing he’s ever done. I can appreciate Logic for stepping out of his comfort zone & the production is cool for the most part, but the instrumentals tend to wear thin by the end. On top of that: his singing is awful & the lyrics are cornier than anything he’s been putting out since ΞVERYBODY.

Score: 0.5/5

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

Vince Staples – “FM!” review

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Vince Staples is a 25 year old rapper who came up as an affiliate of Odd Future. He dropped a number of mixtapes from 2011 up to him being signed to ARTium Recordings & Def Jam Recordings in 2014. Since then, he’s hit us with an EP one year & a studio album the next, with his 3rd EP over here coming fresh off of Vince’s critically acclaimed sophomore album Big Fish Theory last summer.

The EP kicks off with “Feels Like Summer”, which is an out of place summer anthem with a murky trap beat. The next song “Outside!” gets bloodthirsty over a bouncy beat while the track “Don’t Get Chipped” with Jay Rock talks about wealth over a spacey bass heavy instrumental. The song “Relay” has some great storytelling about this woman, but the hook is annoying. The “New Earl Sweatshirt” interlude pretty much trolls everyone who’s been anticipating Earl’s new album & while the song “Run the Bands” gets boastful, the hook is obnoxiously repetitive.

The track “FUN!” with E-40 is of course a party anthem over a hyphy beat while the song “No Bleedin'” with Kamaiyah sees the 2 vividly getting murderous over a nocturnal beat. The “Brand New Tyga” interlude is a follow up to the “New Earl Sweatshirt” interlude, except nobody wanted it. After the “562-453-9382” skit, we go into the closer. Here, Vince & Vonnie talk about how far they’ve come over a spacey trap beat along with a pretty Kehlani hook.

Honestly, this was just ok. The production is eclectic & Vince sounds hype, but I feel like it’s chocked with filler. I really hope his next album will be a much more consistent listen, because I know he can do much better than this.

Score: 3/5

Teyana Taylor – “K.T.S.E. (Keep That Same Energy)” review

With the release of her average debut VII in 2014 & the birth of her daughter the year after, Harlem recording artist Teyana Taylor is returning with her sophomore album & she has enlisted GOOD Music founder Kanye West to produce it in it’s entirety.

The album starts off with “No Manners”, where she sings about her husband Iman Shumpert over some strings & piano chords. The next song “Gonna Love Me” gets romantic over an acoustic instrumental & a beautiful soul sample during the hook while the track “Issues / Hold On”. vents about fighting to keep Iman with her over a mellow guitar. The song “Hurry” with Kanye sees the 2 getting playful over a funky beat with my favorite hook on the entire album while the track “3Way” is about Teyana bringing in another woman for Iman so they can have a threesome over a moody instrumental & the Ty$ verse compliments it so perfectly. The song “Rose in Harlem” talks about being betrayed over some horns & a fitting soul sample while the track “Never Would’ve Made It” is a heartwarming tribute to her daughter over some stuttering drums & piano keys. Unfortunately, the worst song on the entire album would pop up with the closer: W.T.P. (Work This Pussy). The house production is ok, but it’s structured poorly & the vocal sample is annoying as fuck.

Other than that, this is the album that I’ve been waiting Teyana to make (even back in her Star Trak days). It’s passionate, the vocals are a lot stronger as is the songwriting & it’s WAY better produced than her debut. If she & Kanye are gonna work with each other in the future, than I’m all for it

Score: 4/5

Nas – “NASIR” review

Despite saying it was done when DJ Khaled gave us a Major 🔑 in the Summer of 2016, the legendary Queensbridge MC Nas is finally coming through with his 11th album & he has enlisted Kanye West to produce it in it’s entirety.

The album begins with “Not for Radio”, where he vents about how he feels like the world is afraid of African American people over some haunting choir vocals. The next track “Cops Shot the Kid” with Kanye sees the 2 talking about police brutality over a perfect sample of the classic Slick Rick tune “Children’s Story” while the song “White Label” is pretty much a humble brag with a beautiful sample. The track “Bonjour” gets romantic over a soulful beat with some strings while the song “Everything” does talk about the current state of the world over some marching drums & a funky bass guitar, the first 2 minutes could’ve been cut off easily. The penultimate track track “Adam & Eve” lyrically reminds me of his Escobar days over some piano keys & then the closer “Simple Things” pretty much speaks for itself over a soulful beat.

As expected, this is tied with Pusha T’s latest album DAYTONA for being my favorite of the 5 albums that Kanye has dropped within the past month. I’m not surprised by the fact that it’s 7 tracks long given the other 3 albums are also in that length & it’s well produced, but Nas’ performances are a bit underwhelming to where hearing him offbeat is distracting.

Score: 3/5

KIDS SEE GHOSTS – Self-titled review

KIDS SEE GHOSTS is a midwest hip hop duo consisting of the renown yet polarizing Chicago, Illinois legend Kanye West & Cleveland, Ohio recording artist KiD CuDi. The 2 have worked with each other numerous times dating back to when Yeezy signed CuDi to his G.O.O.D. Music record label in 2008 & let him co-write 4 songs on 808s & Heartbreak later that same year. KiD CuDi has contributed to every Kanye album since then. More recently the song “Ghost Town” on his latest album ye, which is a prelude track to this album over here. CuDi even released his first 3 albums with G.O.O.D. Music before he left on amicable terms in 2013 to form his Republic Records imprint Wicked Awesome Records. The duo would later have a brief falling out in the fall of 2016, but they would eventually reconcile after the St. Pablo Tour was cancelled due to Kanye‘s hospitalization for stress & exhaustion.

The album opens with “Feel the Love”, which is pretty much being dominated by Pusha T. He definitely goes in, but the gunshot adlibs from Kanye were annoying on first listen as it grew on me over time. I also like the spacey keyboards & the later added drums that come through in the instrumental. The next track “Fire” actually sees the 2 getting together & responding to everyone who criticize them for their failures in the past over some militant drums & an eerie guitar in the background. The song “4th Dimension” has a prominent Louis Prima sample tackling sex in addition to 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 either. The track “Freee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)” with a brief Ty$ appearance tells the audience that that’s exactly how they feel right now over a killer guitar, but the way the say the titular word does get old after a while.

The song “Reborn” is easily my favorite one on the entire album. The lyrics are all about moving forward from their pasts & the uplifting instrumental is a serious throwback to CuDi’s 2009 debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day. The self-produced title track has a surprising yet solid Yasiin Bey hook & the instrumental has an intergalactic atmosphere to it that’s very pretty. Lyrically, KiD CuDi‘s verse about how he can’t be stopped & that he’ll be finding heaven in a matter of time while Kanye’s talks about fame. The album then finishes with “CuDi Montage”, where CuDi tells God to save him & Kanye gets insightfully conscious over a fitting sample of “Burn the Rain” by the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.

As a whole, I think it’s on the same enjoyability level as ye. The pop rap production is a lot more refined & given the recent hospitalizations of both members, the chemistry between KiD CuDi & Kanye West is stronger than it ever was before.

Score: 4/5

Kanye West – “ye” review

After going A.W.O.L. ever since his hospitalization in late 2016, the ever so polarizing Kanye West is finally coming out of the shadows to release his 8th full-length album. The opener “I Thought About Killing You” has a beautiful spoken word piece at the beginning about depression & then we get a confident verse over a moody beat, but then it switches into a more trap-like sound as he responds to his haters near the end. The next track “Yikes” talks about drugs over a hard hitting beat Ye made with Mike Dean, Pi’erre Bourne & Apex Martin with a humorous outro about being a bipolar superhero while the song “All Mine” talks about a supermodel thick woman over a bouncy beat. Also, I found the hook on here to be somewhat hilarious.

The track “Wouldn’t Leave” talks about his sensitivity over a beautiful gospel-like beat from ¥$ & I love how he starts it off by responding to his infamous TMZ appearance a couple months ago. The song “No Mistakes” is a response to Drake’s Duppy freestyle with a beautiful sample of the classic Slick Rick jam “Hey Young World” & while the penultimate track “Ghost Town” talks about being loved over a rap rock beat, I wish it was structured better. Then we have the closer “Violent Crimes”, where he talks about his kids over an atmospheric beat. Also, the I like the references to Nicki Minaj & “Monster” halfway through the verse. It makes even more sense that Nicki pops up at the end via cell phone saying the line & that she wants everyone to hear it, but I don’t know about ending the album that way.

Regardless, this is still a fantastic. While he did say it would be only 7 tracks, it’s mostly focused & consistent with vibrant production & honest lyrics

Score: 4/5

Pusha T – “DAYTONA” review

With the release of Darkest Before Dawn at the tail-end of 2015, former Clipse member & current G.O.O.D. Music president Pusha T has been laying on the down low outside of a few features. However, he has finally returned with his 3rd full-length album with a new title & he has enlisted the G.O.O.D. Music founder Kanye West to produce it in it’s entirety. The album opens with “If You Know You Know”, where Push spits his signature mafioso bars over a fun beat with a faint sample in the background. The next track “The Games We Play” continues to spit drug bars albeit in more braggadocious manner over a twangy guitar & some jazzy horns while the song “Hard Piano” with Rick Ross sees the 2 talking about living in Santo Domingo over an atmospheric with some BEAUTIFUL keyboards throughout.

The track “Come Back Baby” charismatically talks about the lavish life some monstrous bass & the soul sample hook is gorgeous. The song “Santeria” gets spiritual over a beat that starts off with abrasive, but then switches into a more boom bap vibe. Also I don’t know who the female singer on the hook is, but her singing is alluring. The penultimate track “What Would Meek Do?” with Kanye sees the 2 responding to that everybody that has talked badly about them up until this point over an eerie beat & then the closer “Infrared” talks about the current state of hip hop along with reigniting his beef with Drake over a murky beat.

While it’s been a long wait, I think Push came through with his magnum opus. Despite being only 7 tracks & 22 minutes long, it sounds focused & Pusha’s lyricism is just as sharper & grittier than ever. Also, we‘re getting some of the darkest Kanye instrumentals I’ve ever heard on a handful of tracks

Score: 4.5/5

Desiigner – “L.o.D. (Life of Desiigner)” review

Ever since appearing on the 2016 XXL Freshman Class & rushing his New English mixtape shortly after, New York rapper Desiigner has been laying low ever since. However, it was announced out of the blue Thursday night that he had returned with with his 1st EP.

The EP starts off with “Priice Tag”, where he gets braggadocious over a video gamey trap beat from Ronny J. The next song “Tonka” has an instrumental with an eerie atmosphere to it, but the songwriting is lazy. Especially during the hook & the 2nd verse. The track “After Party” is a generic club banger while the song “Pop iiT” is pretty much a poor man’s “Mask Off” albeit with a spacey beat. The song “Destiination” sounds like a leftover from Future’s last album HNDRXX while the track “LA to New York” does sound charismatic & fun, the songwriting is yet again lazy. The EP finally finishes with “HOOD”, where he talks about seeing another day over a moody beat

This is definitely better than New English, but it’s still pretty bad. Not only did it take way too long to come out but even 2 years after he blew up, the production is generic trap & Desiigner himself still sounds like a poor man’s Future

Score: 1/5