TR Dee – “Trapped in My Bag 2” review

Ypsilanti, Michigan rapper TR Dee coming off his full-length debut with his 3rd mixtape. Notable for being 1/3 of the ShittyBoyz alongside Babytron & Stanwill signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he also began carving a path for himself as a solo artist off his first couple tapes Trapped in My Bag & Made for This ahead of his debut album M.I.P. (Most Improved Player). Ahead of him teaming up with Detroit producer Danny G on Crunch Time later this fall, we’re bearing treated to a Trapped in My Bag sequel.

The title track references 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena whereas “Scam Vet” talks about the continuous grind being his only motivation even after the label deal over a Danny G beat. “Jimi Hendrix” samples “Lady (Hear Me Tonight)” by Modjo to admit that he feels like a rockstar while “NBA” flips “Basketball” by Kurtis Blow for some sharp wordplay about the sport.

Both former NXT Women’s Champion, 6-time WWE women’s world champion & 2-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Mercedes Moné and WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin get referenced on “Johnny Test” prior to “Watch the Cats Race” reuniting the Dookie Brothers.

“T.Y.B.” (Take Your Bitch)” works in some sampling reminiscent of the Afrika Bambaataa single “Planet Rock” to flex about stealing women from other guys while “Late Night Shenanigans” talks about what he does during the evening. “Rick & Morty” shouts out the Discovery Global division Cartoon Network owned [adult swim] hit series of the same name just before he takes a moment to “Pledge Allegiance to the Grind”.

Pro Football Hall of Famer “Dan Marino” talks about feeling like the greatest Miami Dolphins player of all-time after landing in Miami while “Ni Hao” featuring Stanwill ends the first half of the mixtape with them trading verses with one another for a few minutes. “Give It to Me” talks about his head coach status since he doesn’t play game & still being the same kid with the fro while “Highlights” refers to Joe Swanson from the Fox Corporation’s flagship property hit series Family Guy.

“Winnin’ Team” produced by Jakesand suggests that people come & get it with THHL since the Dog $hit Militia’s internationally known while “Porch Pirate” talks about being up early to catch a package over another noteworthy Jakesand instrumental. “Lotta Bands” featuring AK Bandamont unites both of them so they can discuss their riches while “TreDee” corrects people who’ve been erroneously calling him by that name.

We have TR Dee on “No Reply” ghosting a woman who’s been texting him saying she doesn’t perform oral while “Millionaire” references 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.

“Bin Laden” talks about getting back up like it’s nothing whenever life knocks him down while “Living Legend” responds to the notion that D$M is trash because of the ShittyBoyz’ name, which I can further confirm. “Hidden Gem” talks about his gang only knowing to shoot & repping the squad for eternity while “Wait Yo Turn” dismisses the type who’re all bark with no bite.

Fueling my anticipation for Crunch Time even further whenever the time for that comes, TR Dee of the ShittyBoyz crafts a sequel to the mixtape that properly gave the world an idea of what he could do all by himself & Trapped in My Bag 2 feels like an acceptably worthy sequel to the original Trapped in My Bag. It’s longer than the predecessor, but the sample choices within production for this style of trap remains creative & the Dog $hit Militia lieutenant gets in his element once more.

Score: 4/5

7xvethegenius – “Self 7xve 2” review

This is the 5th EP from Buffalo emcee 7xvethegenius. Breaking out a couple years ago off her first 2 EPs The Calm Before & Self 7xve as well as the full-length debut 7xve is Love, it wasn’t until she & Jae Skeese both became the first artists to sign with Conway the Machine’s very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint Drumwork Music Group where 7xve got her biggest break yet. Last we heard from her was over the summer when he dropped Thy Will Be Done during my first night at last year’s Gathering of the Juggalos & now in light of Skeese dropping his Big Ghost Ltd.-produced magnum opus Authenticity Check a little over a week ago, 7xve is stepping up to the plate with Self 7xve 2.

“Waves” kicks off the EP by cinematically talking about how crazy her life’s been up to this point whereas the bassy, yet flute-tinged “Affluence” follows it up by declaring that she’s cut from a different cloth. Trae tha Truth tags along for the wavy “Always Thank God” encouraging listeners to give their praise to the higher power, but then “Fluidity” brings back to the woodwinds thanks to EYEKETYSON to bring the smoke.

The song “Forecast” with Flee Lord sees the pair over some boom bap production from JR Swiftz advising to stay true to the game while the penultimate track “Back End” works in some jazzy undertones talking about fucking shit up with her partner. “Moxie” then ends the EP with a somber piano ballad putting her life up to this point on wax.

Of all the sequel projects in hip hop that have lived up to the hype set by the predecessor or even surpassed it, you can definitely add Self 7xve 2 onto that list. I really admire how she decided take it back to basics & enhance everything that I liked about the first one. Most notably also, the inclusion of features was actually a really nice move as they bring their on flavor to the tracklist.

Score: 3.5/5

Stanwill – “Big $hitter” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper Stanwill making his full-length studio debut. Coming up as 1/3 of the ShittyBoyz with Babytron & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he eventually branched out on his own during the COVID-19 pandemic as did the rest of the group off the debut EP $camwill as well as it’s successor Gifted & the debut mixtape Van Gundy. However, the Big $hitter of the Dog $hit Militia collective has revealed himself after going Full Auto.

“When You Dropping?” gets the ball rollin’ with him & the rest of his crew making it seem like they’re working out the way they be flexing whereas “Sandlot” talks about how his lil’ bro been swinging the sticks lately. “Rick Grimes” references the main character of the amc series The Walking Dead’s early seasons while “OMG” finds him & the rest of the squad trippin’ out at the Ritz-Carlton.

4-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE Tag Team Champion, PWG World Tag Team Champion, ROH World Champion & 2-time ROH World Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins gets referenced during “On i94” produced by Danny G leading into “Crash the Whip” talks about shopping with no limits, buying an outfit that cost as much as a whole pint.

“GoldenEye” named after the timeless Nintendo 64 game of the same name flexes that he’ll turn his entire opps into Ronald McDonald the way he be hittin’ ‘em with the Mac-10 leading into “Chemistry” talking about stealing bitches solely off his chain referencing the WME Group-owned UFC president Dana White. “Forever Active” featuring TR Dee finds the pair shit-talking over a Danny G beat while “Real Me” shows the most synthetic version of himself.

Meanwhile on “Tag Popper”, we have Stan describing the type of people he & the rest of the D$M are while “Glock on Stage” talks that he be hanging with the killers staying strapped when performing at shows. “Effortless” boasts that he doesn’t have to box because he keeps the Glock by his side daily prior to “Why the Fuck?” asking for the reason people think they’re part of the Dog $hit Militia.

“Fr Doe” featuring TRL trades the mic back-&-forth with each other decently over a Danny G instrumental while “Poetry” references the New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick the way he draws plays up for bills. “Cooper Kupp” gives a nod to the Los Angeles Rams WR of the same name while “No Lie” talks about him & his crew being sticked up at every single function they pop out at.

We get a cleverly chopped up string sample all over “Violin” looking back on coming from the dirt to the position that he’s in currently with the rest of his D$M family while “Limitless” by Lewis & Clark takes a couple minutes to trade brief verses with one another. “Shit Show” talks about chasing bags being the only thing he knows while “1st Class” explains that he keeps an X on him because he’s an Off-White enthusiast.

“Gladys Knight” winds down the last few minutes of Big $hitter by talking about the idea of becoming broke being exactly like a fish sinking & making the chopper sing while “No Way” featuring Tae Retro wraps up the LP with both parties breaking down the rebel mindset each of them have, refusing to work with anyone who doesn’t have anything to say to them from a financial position.

With 3 EPs & a mixtape under his belt already, Stanwill’s debut album Big $hitter will certainly appeal more tho those who got into him as a solo artist through $camwill or Van Gundy in comparison to the moderate reception of Full Auto although I certainly enjoyed it last fall for what it was. The secondary influences within the production puts an emphasis on more standard trap in addition to the Detroit sound we all know & it’s the most lyrically gangsta he’s been since Gifted.

Score: 4/5

Jae Skeese – “Authenticity Check” review

Jae Skeese is a 31 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who first emerged in 2010 off his debut mixtape W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks). However, it wasn’t until a decade later where he & 7xvethegenius got their biggest break thus far after the very first signees to Conway the Machine’s very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint Drumwork Music Group. He just dropped his 7th mixtape Revolver Ocelot over the fall & then his 2nd EP Iroquois Pliskin a couple weeks ago, but is now tapping in with Big Ghost Ltd. to produce his 3rd EP from top to bottom.

“Shuttlesworth Form” is a creepy boom bap opener reintroducing himself whereas “Premium Grails” continues to flex his lyrical abilities & the groove of the bass happens to be my favorite part of the instrumental here. “Double Nickel at MSG” takes a more chilling route as far as sound goes talking about big stepping just before “Drip or Drown” works in a guitar & some dusty drums explaining that he’s in over his head.

Meanwhile on “Triple Post Offense”, we have Con & 7xve assisting Jae for a stellar Drumwork posse cut with an interesting vocal sample while the song “Stick-Up” reveals itself to be a perfect ode to muggin’ from the raw beat to the “Gimme the Loot” sample around the 43 second mark referencing 3-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 9-time WWE tag team champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, HOG Tag Team Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, ΩCW New Frontiers Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion & The Crash Mundial Parejas Campeon Jeff Hardy. The penultimate track “Vintage Eastbay Pages” encourages listeners to staying committed to making that bread over some vibraphones & “$1.50 wit Tax” admits how crazy his life has been when you really think about it over a shimmering instrumental.

Now for those who loved Jae’s verse on “Drumwork” & you’re looking to get into his music, then I’d recommend starting with Authenticity Check because I happen to look at it as the crown jewel of his discography thus far. In comparison to Iroquois Pliskin he’s at his best lyrically & the production that Big Ghost Ltd. brings to the table is incredibly consistent.

Score: 4.5/5

Jae Skeese – “Iroquois Pliskin” review

This is the 2nd EP from Buffalo emcee Jae Skeese. Coming up in late 2010 off debut mixtape W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks), it wasn’t until a decade later where he & 7xvethegenius got their biggest break thus far after the very first signees to Conway the Machine’s very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint Drumwork Music Group. He just dropped his 7th mixtape Revolver Ocelot last fall ahead up his upcoming Drumwork debut album Abolished Uncertainties, but now we’re getting another prelude with Iroquois Pliskin.

“71 Custer” is a jazzy, soulful opener giving y’all his story whereas “Against tha Grain” with Conway & Flee Lord finds the trio talking about not being the usual over a pillowy boom bap instrumental from Cee Gee. “EKIN 2” takes a cloudier route for a sequel to a Revolver Ocelot joint that I like more than predecessor while the song “Sometimes (Faith)” with Stove God Cook$ sees the 2 over a smooth beat talking about the days they be having. The penultimate track “Naked Truth” with Elcamino comes through with a slicker follow up trying to see one is made of & “Tumbled Leather” ends the EP by minimally talking about how life’s a bitch.

As the anticipation for Abolished Uncertainties continues, Skeese continues to prelude it with some of the best work of his career so far. I really fuck with how much he puts his artistic progression from W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks) up to now on full display with his songwriting & production choices continuing to level up.

Score: 3.5/5

Jay Worthy & Larry June – “2 P’z in a Pod” review

This is a brand new collaborative album between California emcees Jay Worthy & Larry June. One hails straight outta L.A. & the other being from San Francisco, but these guys have been working with each other for a little over 5 years now ever since the Chuck Inglish-produced loosie “On Sight”. The last time we heard them together was “Survival Series ‘95” off the 2nd disc of Hitler Wears Hermes VIII: Sincerely Adolf but with the help of Sean House behind the boards, Jay & Larry are finally giving the world 2 P’z in a Pod.

After the “Bad Things ” intro, the first song “Vanilla Cream” opens the album up with a cloudy ode to their lifestyles whereas “Big Funds” takes a funkier route talking about their wealth. “Sock It 2 Me” works in some electro influences to describe a bonafide hoe just before Roc Marciano tags along for the g-funk heavy “Maybe the Next Time” to talk about being playas with a soulful hook.

After the “How 2 Knock” interlude, we have Jay & Larry describing living life fast the glossy “Leave It Up to Me” leading into the recently romantic “She’s Not Around”. The track “Hotel Bel-Air” incorporates a symphony to talk about not being afraid of change & prior to the Bag Connection” outro, the final song “Late Nights” ends the album with Jim Jones coming into the picture to jump on top of a rich beat talking about their significant others being on their minds.

These guys always kill it when you get to hear them together & if you’re a hardcore fan of either one of them, then I highly recommend checking 2 P’z in a Pod out. Sean House cooks up some of the best production of his career with Jay & Larry taking their chemistry to the next level.

Score: 4/5

Benny the Butcher – “Tana Talk 4” review

Benny the Butcher is a 37 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who’s been making music since 2004. However, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Last year alone, he teamed up with Harry Fraud for The Plugs I Met II in the spring & then Pyrex Picasso in the summer. However, he’s finally linking back up with Daringer & The Alchemist for his 3rd full-length album as well as the 4th installment of the Tana Talk series.

“Johnny P’s Caddy” kicks off the album with a soulful Alchemist beat & J. Cole joining Benny in talking about deserving to be where they are now & their cribs being like an old show on the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned MTV whereas the Stove God Cook$-assisted “Back 2x” follows it up by bringing the coke raps back & Daringer taking the instrumental back to the basement. “Super Plug” works in a dejecting beat talking about how his only wish was to get his close ones rich just before Boldy James tags along for “Weekends in the Perry’s”, where he & Benny jump on top of a chipmunk soul sample addressing how it’s always been.

Meanwhile on “10 More Crack Commandments”, we have The Butcher delivering a stellar sequel to “10 Crack Commandments” that would make Biggie proud down to the spoken word outro from Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy leading into Conway coming into the picture for “Tyson vs. Ali” talking about how everyone compares the greatest to the greatest nowadays on top of some dusty drums & pianos. “Uncle Bun” goes into a more suspenseful direction as a Benny & 38 Spesh toss the mic back & forth with one another, but then “Thowy’s Revenge” incorporates a horn sample talking about how he went & got it.

“Billy Joe” brings an organ into the picture to describe the shit he be doing within the first 3 days of every month while the song “Guerrero” with Westside Gunn finds the 2 on top of a futuristic boom bap instrumental with some amazing wordplay. The penultimate track “Bust a Brick Nick” viciously attacks those who haven’t been the places he’s been to even though the beat is opulent as Hell & lastly, “Mr. Chow Hall” ends the album by confessing what’s been on his mind lately & the instrumental here is just spine-tingling.

Much like Conway did with God Don’t Make Mistakes a couple weeks back, I think Benny gave us some of the best work of his career with this album. From the vivid street imagery to Daringer & The Alchemist’s production, every one involved kills it at picking up where the previous installment of the series left off while recapturing that sound.

Score: 4.5/5

Babytron – “Megatron” review

This is the 6th mixtape from Detroit rapper Babytron. Coming up as a member of the trio ShittyBoyz along with his childhood friends Stanwill & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he’s also branched out on impressive solo career for himself as well as the side groups Lewis & Clark and the Dookie Brothers. However, it seems like last year was probably his biggest year yet landing interviews ranging from No Jumper to even Rolling Stone or the release of Luka Trončić last summer prior to signing with EMPIRE Distribution later that same month & then Bin Reaper 2: The 2nd Coming back in the tail-end of October. But to follow all that success up, he’s kicking off his 2022 run with Megatron.

“Letter to Cornelius” starts out the tape mixing jazz & trap to spit braggadocio whereas “Manute Bol” works in some strings to talk about being paid similar to that of the late NBA player of the same name later referencing the greatest WWE superstar ever; soon-to-be inducted Hall of Famer, 7-time world champion, 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker. “Peachtree” goes into a cloudier direction letting muthafuckas know that no one can beat him, but then “Cobra Kai” works in a danceable groove to talk about some late night shit.

Meanwhile on “Beyond Turnt”, we have the Dog $hit Militia general continuing to flex accompanied by some strings leading into “Huge Lifestyle 2” is a mediocre sequel to a loosie that GTP Daidoe put out a little over a year back. “Area 51” has an appropriately spacious atmosphere to it talking about being an alien just before “Mr. Do the Dash” brings a weepy violin loop into the mix declaring himself as such.

“Extra Butter” has a dope ass funk sample dissing his competition while Helluva takes “Crocs & Wock” into a more electro-direction to ball. “BMF” of course flips the 50 Cent single “Wish Me Luck” paying tribute to Big Meech’s operation of the same name prior to DaBoii tagging along for the hyphy-laced “Chess Players” to talk about their reckless gangster mentalities.

Following that, “6 Star Wanted Level” comes through with some insane beat switches for each verse saying he lives a GTA life while “Mainstream Tron” has a more playful tone talking about all the success he’s been seeing as of late. “Hustle Junkie” is basically him admitting that he’s addicted to grindin’ with an exotic sample woven in while “God Tier” goes into soulful territory talking about being his own boss.

“December 1st” flips the Sue Ann Carwell joint “I’ll Give You Love” to declare himself a living legend while “Hold Up, Wait!” returns to a more symphonic sound talking about being too high & punching a clerk harder than the longest reigning 2-time WWE Universal Champion, former 3-time WWE Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & WWE Tag Team Champion Roman Reigns. “RIP Virgil” experiments with disco paying homage to the late Off-White founder of the same name while “Stupid” finds Babytron displaying a decent back & forth chemistry with Glockboyz Teejaee over a violin instrumental.

The song “Jerry Rice” returns to the jazzy sounds of the opener continuing to diss anyone who thinks they can step up to him while the penultimate track “10 Toes Wherever” samples the classic Nate Dogg/Warren G banger “Nobody Does It Better” to talk about feeling cocky. “The Lost World” ends the tape with multiple beat switches from Danny G & some incredible charisma in Babytron’s verses.

If you ask me, Megatron serves as yet another reminder as of why Babytron is one of the hottest rappers in the city right now. He continues to bring some exciting new sounds into the Detroit trap scene & his pen-game (most notably the punchlines) continue to level up at an astonishing rate.

Score: 3.5/5

King Von – “What It Means to Be King” review

King Von was a 26 year old rapper from Chicago, Illinois who came up as a Lil Durk protege. Now I wasn’t big on his mixtapes Grandson: The Mixtape or LeVon James at first, but he really blew me away once his full-length debut Welcome to O’Block came out a little over a year ago on Devil’s Night. But as soon as he finally won me over, he was tragically murdered a week later in broad daylight. So it was only a matter of time before Only the Family Entertainment put out a posthumous album albeit Von’s 2nd overall.

“Where I’m From” opens up the album with Chopsquad DJ mixing some pianos & snares as Von addresses Patoon’s death whereas “War” has a more dramatic tone sonically talking about his mob ties. G Herbo tags along for “FaceTime” to spit that gun talk on top of a rubbery bass-line & some murky choir vocals provided by Hitmaka leading into the 21 Savage-assisted “Don’t Play That” taking a more cloudier route talking about what they usually do with their day.

Meanwhile on “Straight to It”, we have Fivio Foreign assisting Von in cooking up a combative drill banger just before “Trust Nothing” with MoneyBagg Yo finds the 2 talking about bitches tripping about shit that has nothing to do with them over a thunderous trap beat with some piano chords. “Evil Twins” showcases some amazing back & forth chemistry with Lil Durk accompanied by an atmospheric backdrop, but then “Too Real” goes into a hazier direction talking about how legit he was.

“Rich Gangsta” with Tee Grizzley pretty much speaks for itself as far as the content goes even though it has one of the weaker instrumentals on the album until the synth-laced “Mad” picks things back up with Von angrily calling out those who envied him prior to his murder. “My Fault” incorporates some rich keyboard melodies as A Boogie wit da Hoodie assists Von in a decent romance ballad & the electronic undertones of “Change My Life” are a nice change of pace addressing a lover who thinks she was his wife.

Following that, “Hard to Trust” is an Asian Doll tribute that goes well down to TM88’s production until Dreezy’s verse comes in towards the backend of it while “Get Back” with Boss Top & DQFrmDaO fails at it’s attempt at a Chicago drill anthem. “Get It Done” with OMB Peezy kinda has a Detroit trap vibe to the instrumental with the pair delivering some mediocre gangsta raps while “Chase the Bag” references the WWE’s 2nd flagship program Friday Night SmackDown on the Fox Corporation’s flagship property.

The track “Go N Get Em” sees Boss Top returning for a chilling look at how murderous they can be while the final song “Grandson for President” is pretty much a remix of the classic Crime Mob single “Knuck If You Buck”. The outro “Family Dedication” though ends the album with a moving spoken word bit paying tribute to all of Von’s loved ones.

For a posthumous album, I’m actually kinda torn on it. There’s nothing really wrong with King Von’s verses or a good portion of the production, but the feature-list is just so oddly picked out with their contributions ranging from focused at best to pointless & phoned in at worst.

Score: 2.5/5

Curren$y – “Continuance” review

This is the 18th full-length album from New Orleans veteran Curren$y. Getting his start with No Limit Records as a later member of the 504 Boyz in 2002, he would then hop over to Young Money Entertainment & Cash Money Records in ‘06 before branched out a couple years later with his own label Jet Life Recordings. Since then, the man made a name for himself by dropping a handful of projects every single year with the latest being the Ski Beatz-produced 4th installment of the Pilot Talk series. However, he’s reuniting with The Alchemist for Continuance which I was actually fiendin’ for because Covert Coup & The Carrollton Heist have always been some of the standouts in Spitta’s ever-growing discography.

“Half Morning Moons” starts off the album on a spacious note telling this woman she can kick it with him as long as she can keep a secret whereas “Reese’s Cup” is a piano ballad taking aim at his competition. Boldy James tags along for the soulful “No Yacht” talking about having an acquired taste for the finer things leading into “Obsession” talking about his being infatuated by how much money he can make over a glossy boom bap beat.

Meanwhile on “Corvette Rally Stripes”, we have Havoc & Wiz Khalifa joining Spitta on top of a grim instrumental to flaunt just before the Styles P-assisted takes a more stripped back route as the 2 talk about what it all sounds like to them. “The Tonight Show” almost has this jazzy quality to proclaiming himself as a living legend, but then “Signature Move” goes into a hazier direction talking about getting everything he wants

Detroit’s very own Babyface Ray comes into the picture for the bluesy “Louis Baggage” speaking on reaching underground king status prior to “The Final Board” going full-blown rock turf talking about getting paid in full. The song “JoDeCi Tape” gets in his romantic bag over a synth-heavy beat while the penultimate track “Endurance Runners” with Larry June returning to jazz territory declaring themselves as such. “Kool & the Gang” ends the album with a touching tribute to his son.

For this to be Spitta’s way to kick off his 2022, it absolutely lived up to my expectations & I’ll even say it’s on the exact same caliber as it’s predecessors Covert Coup & The Carrollton Heist. Alchemist’s production is superb as to be expected, the features all come correct & the man himself sounds like he’s in element lyrically.

Score: 4.5/5