Raz Fresco – “The Eternal Now” review

Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee/producer Raz Fresco enlisting west coast veteran DJ Muggs for what I’m pretty sure is his 16th proper full-length solo LP. I’ve been familiar with the guy since my high school years at this point whether it be some of his features or his own extensive discography including the Magneto Was Right mixtape series, the Futurewave-produced Gorgeous Polo Sportsmen album, the Nicholas Craven-produced Boulangerie album, the Cake beat tapes, the Gia…À La Carte collab EP with Estee Nack or more recently the Cookin’ Soul produced Bakin’ Soul & the Daniel Son collab effort Northside. Further continuing the acclaim of the latter 3 received, The Eternal Now seemed like there was a high chance it could surpass them since Muggs been on a roll producing projects for other artists in recent memory & helping bring the best out of them.

The title track sets the tone of what’s to come from the jazzy instrumental to the lyrics letting everyone know exactly what they’re living in at this very moment whereas luxuriously “Memory Lane” talks about people spending too much time reflecting & being nostalgic, which I wholeheartedly agree with. “Look What You Made Me Do” goes full-blown boom bap examining the darkest side of Raz’ mind prior to the orchestral “Smoke & Mirrors” talking about the game being as cold as it is.

“Blood Money” strips the drums completely feeling alive whenever the sun touches him just before the “Ghost of Garvey” featuring Gritfall & The 6th Letter finds the trio over a crooning sample flexing that they brought back Marcus Garvey’s spirit. “King Tubby” makes a turn into drumless territory once again feeling like he wants to cry for the people sometimes due to the cruelness of the world leading into “Blow Up the Spot” returning to the boom bap talking about hitting the lottery if he had a nickel for every time he called out a poser for trying to be official.

Starting the 2nd leg, “Fake Beef” ruggedly warns that y’all can catch the smoker similarly to Terrell Owens & keeping the gates of Hell open reserving Heaven for the best while the dustily jazzy hybrid “World Peace” talks about the game plan trying to be taking land with their names on the building. “Pan’s Labyrinth” strips the drums once more discussing a trapped king trapped in faun’s elaborate & confusing structure while “Big Soul Assassins” returns to the boom bap representing the titular Soul Assassins collective.

“Staircase Stories” nears the end of The Eternal Now if you couldn’t tell by the title unearths his own tales from the staircases over a raw beat with an acoustic-sounding drum pattern & I found the rock sampling throughout “50 Bop” to be quite interesting allowing Raz to spaz the fuck out on the mic to the point where I can say it’s my favorite track here. “Spooky” closes the LP hopping on top of a drumless jazz sample calling himself Professor X with his mind.

Raz has already been having a Hell of a 2024 from Bakin’ Soul to Northside & surely enough, The Eternal Now reaches past Bakin’ Soul as the best full-length album in his entire discography yet. DJ Muggs’ production ranges from boom bap to drumless, jazz rap & rap rock giving a glimpse of the Toronto emcee keeping the same energy lyrically that he’s kept since the last couple projects of his that I previously covered.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Mooch – “Roc Star” review

This is the 6th full-length LP from Rochester emcee Mooch. Breaking out as a part of Da Cloth, he would catch my attention off the Futurewave-produced debut Boss Sauce & his collab effort with Rigz produced by Big Ghost Ltd. called The Only Way Out. It’s been quite some time since I last discussed Mooch’s music since I covered Da 5th Power over 3 years ago, but knew Roc Star was going to be his masterpiece after learning DJ Muggs was fully producing it.

The title track starts off on the epically drumless tip talking about being a top dog at this point in his career whereas “Soul Screaming” takes the luxurious approach instrumentally likening his literal soul screaming similarly to how the 70s been. “Uncut Hope” has this rawer boom bap flare to the beat bragging that his shit been dope leading into “Trumpets” working in more kicks & snares into the picture requiring to make the discussion if you wanna make it out of the trenches.

“Belly” brings a jazzier flare to the table lookin’ awesome sparkin’ in the dark while “Mooch Moses” returns to the boom bap talking about selling the water that Jesus had turned into wine. The triumphant “It Ain’t Ready” flexes that it’s 31 grams of this oil & noting it’s quite heavy while “Walk Yours” featuring Rigz goes into soulful turf as both members motivate you to shrug off anyone hating on your progress.

Meanwhile on “My Shit’s Beautiful” has these killer guitar riffs throughout as Mooch justifiably brags about just how beautiful his shit actually is while “M.A.V. x Mooch x Times” featuring M.A.V. & Times Change finds the trio over more soul samples bring it to hard-core for literally 3 minutes straight. “Mazda” has these uncanny strings dissing those fake-racing with the God prior to the peacefully drumless “Assets & Liabilities” closing Mooch’s best LP to date breaking down the difference between the 2.

Boss Sauce has always been my favorite solo effort of Mooch’s up until this point, but I can’t deny that Roc Star has taken over that spot because this album more than surpassed my expectations. Muggs’ production here is more consistent than some of Mooch’s recent output, the man himself lyrically is at the strongest he’s been in a couple years & even the unparalleled features are well assorted.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Soul Assassins – “Soul Assassins III: Death Valley” review

This is the 5th full-length album from West Coast-based hip hop collective the Soul Assassins. Founded in 1992 by DJ Muggs, their debut Chapter Iwould become a bonafide classic & would follow it up with the equally solid II. This was followed up almost a decade later with Intermission & another 9 years later when they got back together on Dia del Asesinato. But coming fresh off producing a plethora of albums for a wide range of different artists, Muggs is looking to close out the trilogy that began Chapter I & pick up where II left off by taking everyone to Death Valley.

After the “Time Has Come” instrumental intro, the first song “It’s On” by Boldy James sets it all off talking about how he & the Concreatures bleed the block over a lusciously groovy beat whereas “Check In” by Jay Worthy gives off a more blaxploitation inspired sound as he flexes the chess moves he’s been making. “Sicilian Gold” by Ghostface Killah & Westside Gunn gives off a more triumphant vibe so Starks & the FLYGOD can brag about their drip, but then the piano-heavy “67 Keys” by Meyhem Laurenas well as Roc Marciano & Rome Streetz finds the trio getting in their coke rap bag.

After the “Mr. Cartoon” interlude, “Joker’s Wild” by CeeLo Green shifts into boom bap turf taking pride in being Chicano just before “Shell Casings” by T.F goes for a darker atmosphere advising that those who try to play hero will get shot. “Street Made” by Freddie Gibbs & Scarface weaves more kicks & snares into the fold talking about being made by their respective hoods that is until “Where We At” by Boldy James gives off a drumless edge this time basing the subject matter around one of his most famous adlibs.

“We Ain’t Playin’” by Jay Worthy, T.F & 2Eleven returns to the boom bap declaring that they ain’t fuckin’ around whatsoever while “Burn the Playbook” by Domo Genesis & Evidence sees the pair over more kicks & snares with a cloudy backdrop promising to never run slow. After the “Majik” interlude, “Crazy Horse” by Crimeapple & Roc Marciano strips the drums once more spitting their signature gangsta raps while the lead single “Metropolis” by Method Man & Slick Rick hooks the kicks & snares back up reminding that they can’t be touched lyrically all these decades later.

To start the final leg of the album, “We Coming for the Safe” by Boldy James is an eerie way to do it of course talking about breaking into safes while the track “Skeleton Bones” by Rome Streetz further demonstrating himself to be gave of the most skilled pens in the game currently by dropping lyrical acrobatics. And prior to the outro, the final song “Dump on’ Em” by Cypress Hill alongside former N.W.A members Ice Cube & MC Ren ends the 26 year trilogy with a beat kin to Cypress Hill IV repping the west coast.

Already over 3 decades since the Assassins have been around albeit over a quarter of a century since they started dropping music & 5 years after returning from a near decade-long hiatus with Dia del Asesinato, there’s not a single shadow of doubt in my mind that Soul Assassins III: Death Valley couldn’t have closed out the trilogy any better. The guests are well-balanced between hip hop veterans & of the biggest names in the underground currently as they all come together to destroy mics in their own fashion backed by Muggs’ distinctly raw production.

Score: 4/5

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

8tari – “Lofi Punk” review | 8タリ – 「ロフィ・パンク」レビュー

This is the debut EP from Japanese-American transplant 8tari. Born in Tokyo, she moved to New York as a child & began piano lessons before returning to Japan at when she was 12. However, a freak accident with a prototype blockchain connected gashapon machine outside of a keki shop near Takeshita Street resulted in 8tari being decentralized & becoming an NFT. Lost in the network & no longer able to physically touch a piano, she began making beats that soon began to fill the back streets of Shibuya after down-resizing them for transmission at human audible levels. Renown west coast producer DJ Muggs eventually took 8tari under his wing & is producing her debut EP in full.

これは日系アメリカ人移植8tariのデビューEPです。東京で生まれ、子供の頃にニューヨークに引っ越し、12歳の時に日本に戻る前にピアノのレッスンを始めました。しかし、竹下通り近くのケキショップの外でプロトタイプブロックチェーン接続されたガサポンマシンとの異常な事故により、8tariは分散化され、NFTになりました。ネットワークで失われ、もはや物理的にピアノに触れることができなくなった彼女は、人間の可聴レベルで伝送するためにそれらをダウンリサイズした後、すぐに渋谷の裏通りを満たし始めたビートを作り始めました。有名な西海岸のプロデューサーDJ Muggsは、最終的に彼の翼の下で8tariを取り、彼女のデビューEPを完全に制作しています。

“Neon Sunburn” is a dreary piano opener to the EP that I can only visualize serving as the soundtrack to a rainy ass day whereas “The Guns of Brixton” continues on with a lo-fi instrumental cover of the Clash song of the same name off their iconic 3rd album London Calling. The penultimate track “Paradise” has a more climactic vibe to it almost as if it were playing in the background of an important scene to a really good movie leading into “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault” ending the EP with another cover except this time it’s the joint off Jawbreaker’s 4th & final album Dear You.

「ネオン・サンバーン」はEPの退屈なピアノオープナーで、雨の日のサウンドトラックとして視覚化することしかできませんが、「ザ・ガンズ・オブ・ブリクストン」は、象徴的な3rdアルバム「ロンドン・コーリング」から同名のクラッシュの曲のlo-fiインストゥルメンタルカバーで続きます。最後から2番目のトラック「Paradise」は、まるで「Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault」につながる本当に良い映画の重要なシーンの背景で再生されているかのように、よりクライマックスの雰囲気を持っています。今回はJawbreakerの4th&finalアルバムDear Youのジョイントです。

What we have on Lofi Punk here is essentially Muggs dabbling with chillhop for a duration of 4-songs, 15 minutes & it makes me wonder if he plans on traveling further down this rabbit hole in the future because it’s a really interesting change of pace for the seasoned west coast producer. The covers truly make the EP live up to it’s name, but the 2 original compositions are an even better homage to the style pioneered by the late Nujabes.

Lofi Punkで私たちがここで持っているのは、本質的に4曲、15分間チルホップをいじるMuggsであり、それは経験豊富な西海岸のプロデューサーにとって本当に興味深いペースの変化なので、彼が将来このウサギの穴をさらに下って旅行する予定があるかどうか疑問に思います。カバーは本当にEPをその名前に応えていますが、2つのオリジナル作品は、故ヌジャベスによって開拓されたスタイルへのさらに良いオマージュです。

Score: 3.5/5

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

Meyhem Lauren – “Champagne for Breakfast” review

Meyhem Lauren is a 39 year old MC from Queens, New York that came up as the leader of the Smart Crew graffiti team. He eventually started rapping in the mid-2000s, it wouldn’t be until the 2010s decade that he saw success. Most notably with Mandatory Brunch Meetings, the Buckwild-produced Silk Pyramids, Piatto D’oro & most notably the DJ Muggs produced Gems from the Equinox. But coming off the Daringer-produced Black Vladimir to universal acclaim, Meyhem’s keeping the momentum going by reuniting with Muggs & bringing along Madlib so both West Coast veterans can produce his 6th album.

After the “Quicksand”, intro, the first song “Fresh Out the Water” truly sets things off with Muggs supplying a creepy vocal loop as well as some kicks & snares for Meyhem to make it clear that shit ain’t changed prior to Action Bronson tagging along for “Szechuan Capitol” so they can hop on a piano boom bap instrumental with a soulful beat-switch encouraging to protect your energy & Bronson talking about making his AEW debut in Arthur Ashe Stadium after a segment between former 2-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, TNA Hall of Famer, 4-time TNA World Champion, TNA World Tag Team Champion, 8-time WCW world champion, WCW World Television Champion, 3-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE United States Champion Sting alongside former 3-time AJPW三冠ヘビー級王座, 5-time AJPW世界タッグ王座, 4-time IWGPヘビー級王座, 6-time IWGPタッグ王座, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, GHCヘビー級王座, GHCタッグ王座, WCW World Television Champion, WCW World Tag Team Champion & newly inducted WWE Hall of Famer ザ・グレート・ムタ. “Midnight Silk” dives into drumless turf courtesy of Madlib to spit that mafioso shit leading into “Sunday Driving” having a more classier vibe sonically talking about focusing on the better things in life.

“Big Money” returns to the boom bap so he can flex his wealth just before “Evolution” blending some keys, kicks & snares so Meyhem can thank back from where he came from to how he’s evolved since then. “Dom vs. Cris” keeps it in the basement to justifiably talk about how he out here winning drinking champagne in the sunshine, but then “Holographic Rhetoric” by his little brother Hologram has a more soulfully drumless approach to declare that he doesn’t need to stop & he ain’t ever gonna change.

After the “Pop Clink Fizz” interlude, “OD Wilson” gives off a more sinister feeling to the beat bragging that the real ones are back on top like they oughta be while the cavernously funky “African Pompano” talks about repping the fly shit forever. After the “Triple M Airlines” instrumental interlude from Madlib, the penultimate track “One of Them Ones” reveals itself to be an unsettling boom bap anthem referring to himself as amongst the greatest & “Wild Salmon” is a grand drumless closer letting y’all know what he got on the grill as he drinks with the homies.

Black Vladimir quickly became a favorite of mine in his discography last summer & went on to be the best albums of the previous year, but he really outdid himself on Champagne for Breakfast to the point where I as someone who’s been listening to him since Silk Pyramids can say it’s the best album he’s ever done. Muggs & Madlib both play Yin & Yang behind the boards much like how Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West & Pharrell did on Pusha T’s last album It’s Almost Dry with Meyhem murdering it with the gangsta raps complimenting both West Coast beatsmith’s signature production styles.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Jay Worthy – “What They Hittin’ 4” review

This is the 3rd mixtape from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada born albeit Compton, California raised emcee Jay Worthy. Being introduced to him in 2017 after The Alchemist produced his debut EP Fantasy Island from top to bottom, he would go onto drop 5 more EPs & a fantastic collab album with Larry June back in March called 2 P’z in a Pod even though initial plans of putting it out through Griselda Records fell through for whatever reason. Dude just put out the Harry Fraud-produced You Take the Credit, We’ll Take the Check a few months back & is now enlisting DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill behind the boards for What They Hittin’ 4.

“We Don’t Die Here” is a calm jazz rap opener talking about “live & let live” along with how you’re supposed to fly if you’re eternal like him whereas “95” takes a more rugged approach declaring himself to be a westside original which accurate considering that the CPT is a here he grew up. “The Gentleman” works in a bare soul sample so Jay can show a more classy side to himself just before “In New York” has a more cheery tone to it talking about his experiences in the Big Apple.

Meanwhile on “Thuggin’ (Psychedelic Ism)”, we have Jay reflects on what happened when he hit a tab of acid on top of a drumless yet synth-heavy instrumental leading into “Sweet Lies (Kiss the Sky)” returning to the boom bap talking about how it feels good inside to be deceived & needing to take his time. T.F tags along for “The Wine Connoisseur” returning to a more jazz-influenced sound expressing their love for wine & after the “Duccky’s Home” skit, MC Eiht comes into the picture for the dusty “A-Wax & O-Dog” talking about how real shit can get.

The song “This is It” with 211 has a spacier groove to it discussing getting anything they want with only a flick of a wrist while the penguin track “I Don’t Wanna Rap” goes into a more sunnier vibe instrumentally talking about wanting to relax. “Bitch I Miss You” however ends the album with a beat that sounds exactly like “No Blood No Sweat” by Mach-Hommy to reflect on a former lover of his that he genuinely misses.

In the 5 years I’ve been following this dude, What They Hittin’ 4 has to be my favorite thing he’s ever done & would absolutely recommend it to those who weren’t feeling his performances on the previous full-length he put out a few months ago. He comes a lot harder on the mic this time around to me personally & the production that Muggs cooks up here is a lot more varied in sound in contrast to the ruggedness of let’s say Rigz’ latest album Gold for example.

Score: 4.5/5

@legendswill_never_die on Instagram for the best music reviews weekly!

Rigz – “Gold” review

Rigz is a 30 year old MC from Rochester, New York who came up as a member of Da Cloth. He eventually broke out solo in 2017 off his debut EP Calculated & then the debut mixtape I Got Samples, which was followed up with a sequel tape & then his 2nd EP A Piece of the Action. However, Rigz’ popularity began to grow in 2019 off his Chup-produced 3rd mixtape Roach Gutta Slums & then the Big Ghost Ltd. produced collab effort with fellow Cloth member Mooch called The Only Way Out. Then he brought in Futurewave to produce his full-length debut Substance Abuse to universal acclaim & now after coming fresh off the sophomore effort Wake Ups that came out over the summer, DJ Muggs is coming in the picture to produce Rigz’ highly anticipated 3rd album.

After the “Gold Standard” intro, the title track with Mooch sets off the whole album by talking about how all they need is a brick over a morbid instrumental whereas “Every Season” with Rob Gates finds the pair on some spectral boom bap shit going at those who’re only tough in their heads. “Supreme” weaves in some keyboards & dusty drums talking about keeping 10 toes down just before Meyhem Lauren tags along for gritty drug dealer’s anthem “Cook Off”. Meanwhile on “What We Got”, we have Rigz on top of a beat kin to Wu-Tang Forever era RZA just giving the listeners who he is leading into the Rome Streetz-assisted “Heads on the Wall” talking about keeping their foots on cats’ necks on top of some luxurious piano chords & sputtering drums.

Mooch returns for the bare soul sample-laced “Where Ya Soul At?” speaking on turning the streets to their home, but then “Fool’s Gold” works in an enticing vocal loop going into battle rap territory. “24 Karats” goes back into drumless turf expressing his desire for a fortune while Big Twins comes into the picture for the forlorn “We Want In” talking about riding for their respective cliques.

The guitars on “Eastside Blues” are a nice change of pace sonically reminding that you can’t change where you came from & they carry their way over to “Crack the Code”, where Times Change jumps in to talk about how masterful they are. After the “Balance” interlude, the final “Never Met a Real Gangsta” with M.A.V. sees the 2 on top of some strings telling listeners all the G’s they know wound up not wanting be involved with crime anymore & then “The Culture” ends it with a spoken word piece.

It’s been a long time coming & I’m glad it finally came because this would be an excellent entry point for those who’re aren’t already familiar with Rigz or Da Cloth as a whole really. He continues to reveal himself as the sharpest lyricist of the crew even though I got love for all the members & Muggs’ production is as equally superb as Futurewave’s was on Substance Abuse a little over a year back.

Score: 4.5/5

DJ Muggs – “Winter 2” review

DJ Muggs is a 53 year old producer & DJ from Queens, New York who came up as part of The 7A3 alongside the Bouldin Brothers in the late 80s. The trio only put out 1 album together but as the 90s approached, Muggs started to become a household name in the west coast as the producer for Cypress Hill & the leader of the Soul Assassins. He would go on to release 4 solo efforts & after dominating 2021 by fully producing projects like Death & the Magician or Cartagena, Muggs is returning for a Winter sequel given that the 1-year anniversary of that album is coming up next month.

After the “Winter 2 Theme” intro, the first song “Beaming Hi” by RLX is a symphonic opener spitting the fly lifestyle he’s living these days whereas “Absolem Reprise” by Roc Marciano takes a dusty boom bap route talking about being prone to kill it. “All White Party” by Meyhem Lauren fuses together some keyboards & punchy drums spitting that they gotta kill him to take his spot leading into RLX returning for the jazzy yet drumless “Have a Bad Day” hoping that on those who get in his face.

Meanwhile on “L.A. County”, we have T.F. coming into the picture ominously detailing his life as a Crip just before “Panoramic Sunroof” by Crimeapple keeps the boom bap vibes going detailing his mind moving as fast as the drugs he’s pushing. “God Killa” by Rigz has a bit of an Italian flare to the instrumental talking about killing motherfuckers’ egos, but then “Father Time” by Ill Bill takes a dark electronic approach expressing his desire to chop bodies up.

“More Fire” by Hologram weaves in some heavenly vocals throughout saying you can’t ruin his game while the vibraphone-heavy “Absolem Reprise, Pt. 2” by Roc Marciano perfectly picks up right where the predecessor left off lyrically. The final song “It’s Over” by RLX mixes a guitar & an organ talking about the title he earned from his gusto, but “Winter Black Ice” finishes the album off with an instrumental piece similar to the intro.

Overall, I think this is a worthy sequel to round out such a prolific year in Muggs’ career. I like how he gives a couple of the guest MCs more shine rather than just giving them 1 joint each as well as the diversity of sound throughout.

Score: 3.5/5

Crimeapple – “Cartagena” review

Crimeapple is a 35 year old MC from Hackensack, New Jersey who came onto my radar in the fall of 2017 with his 4th EP Sweet Dreams along with his Big Ghost Ltd. produced full-length debut Aguardiente that following spring. His profile began to grow after dropping the DJ Skizz-produced Wet Dirt & the DJ Muggs-produced Medallo the next year, but his output since then has been either hit or miss with me personally. However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to hear that he was re-enlisting Muggs for his 7th album right here.

“Grey Skies” is a glorious opener about him waking up feeling unstoppable whereas “Bathtubs Full of Veuve” takes things into boom bap turf spitting that fly shit. “Tony 2C” goes into a drearier direction reminding us he got that dope on demand leading into Stove God Cook$ tagging along for the battle rap piano ballad “Mermaids”.

“Meanwhile on “Papas”, we have Crimeapple jumping on top of a Daringer-inspired boom bap instrumental talking about getting a bag just before “Cheap Work” has a bit of a dark industrial sound letting us know he’s in that getting money stage. “Designer Label” has an unsettling atmosphere in the production detailing how it is from the cradle to the grave back to the cradle, but then “Reputation” has a more celebratory vibe saying he don’t care about the bullshit.

“Some More Paper” has some chilling organ harmonies confessing that’s all he really needs at this point whereas “Kleenex” brings in a guitar saying he’s been to shit since seeing TGIF on Fridays. The song “Swish” continues the rock vibes proclaiming the throne to the rap game while the penultimate track “Peligrosisimo” grimily flexes his Spanish. “Fly Shit” with RLX then ends the album by going at those who envy them.

From the moment Muggs initially announced Cartagena, I knew he was gonna give Crime what his last couple projects have been lacking & am more than satisfied with the end results. He’s been one of the nicest lyricists to come out of New Jersey in recent memory & that hasn’t changed at all, but the production on here in comparison is like night & day.

Score: 4.5/5

Hologram – “American Cheese” review

Hologram is a 36 year old MC from New York who came up as a part of The Outdoorsmen collective alongside his older brother Meyhem Lauren & Action Bronson under the original moniker Jay Steele. He’s been featured on a plethora of the latter 2’s projects in the past such as Bon Appetit……Bitch! & Gems from the Equinox, but is finally being treated to a full-length debut of his produced entirely by none other than Cypress Hill’s very own DJ Muggs.

After the intro, “No Off Season” is a hair-raising opener saying he always keeps the heat on him because he’s so cold whereas “Don’t Ride with the Drugs” enlists Action Bronson is a luxurious boom bap cut about thinking like a G. The title track is a rock-flavored cut saying the limit’s the sky but he’s gonna go higher just before the murky, self explanatory “Smoke Weed & Figure Shit Out”.

Meanwhile on “You Know My Name”, we have Hologram bragging on top of a cinematic instrumental leading into him saying if the gun ain’t on him it’s around him with the bell-heavy “Black”. He later tells his detractors their out their mind on the jazz-infused “Duck & Cover”, but then “808” is a 1-minute trap banger getting on his hustler shit.

“S.T.F.U. (Shut The Fuck Up)” works in a slowed down vocal sample for him to say he hustles for a sense of urgency & paper while “Moon Rocks” with Big Twins & Meyhem Lauren finds the trio proclaiming themselves as them front row cats over a lurid boom bap beat. Meyhem sticks around as he, Bronson & Hologram talk about wearing black on the gruesome “Colors” just before the brothers jump on the bleak “P.C.H.” by themselves to speak on smoking a couple pounds & hitting up Malibu.

The penultimate track “Traditional Bull Shark” brings in an organ & a guitar telling us he goes through life imitating art, but then “Murder at 5” finds Meyhem Lauren coming back into the picture to end the album by letting us know they’ll be counting money ‘til their hands break & I really dig the forlorn tone that the instrumental gives off.

If anyone out there is a fan of Meyhem, then you definitely gotta check out American Cheese because his lil bro Hologram proves that he can hold down an album of his own. His songwriting is at it’s best & the sounds Muggs goes for is a healthy variety ranging from boom bap to rap rock.

Score: 4/5