SK da King is a 31 year old MC from Baltimore, Maryland who came up as part of the Checkered Flag Boyz under the original moniker Paul Skola. However, it wasn’t until this past spring where he signed to Conway the Machine’s recently formed Drumwork Music Group as a solo act. And since the whole crew is starting to hit the road for the Love Will Get You Killed Tour tomorrow, it’s only right for SK to drop a debut EP to get new listeners familiar with him.
The opener “I’m God” starts off with a slowed down vocal sample that later transitions into a rich trap instrumental talking about rising to the throne whereas “Blood in My Eye” works in some strings to say he was made for this rap shit. “Dancing Wit the Devil” takes a much more darker approach detailing his lifestyle just before “Actions” calls out those putting on a front.
Meanwhile on “Different”, we have SK delivering an uplifting ode to turning a new page leading into the celebratory “Winners”. The song “P.M.D.” is another upbeat cut talking about doing it on his own while the penultimate track “Ventin’” gets confessional with an instrumental soothing to the ear. “Horus Flow” ends the album with a more minimal sound flexing his lyrical abilities.
Cloud 9: The Update was cool tape, but I think Horus is SK at his best so far & I can’t wait to hear how he’ll carry that over for a full-length capacity because this would be an ideal place for new listeners to start. He sounds a lot more hungrier lyrically & the production sounds crisper too.
This is the 8th mixtape from Buffalo emcee, songwriter & entrepreneur Westside Gunn. At this point, what can be said about the guy now that hasn’t been said already? From running one of the hottest hip hop labels in recent memory to his first 2 full-lengths FLYGOD & Supreme Blientele, you’d be lying to yourself if you said he & the rest of the Griselda crew haven’t had the culture on lock for the last 5-6 years. Dude’s been laying low throughout a good portion of 2021 so far, but is deciding to finish the Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series in the form of the 2-disc Sincerely, Adolf. The first disc given to us now & the other most likely on Halloween
After the “Murders in Marfield” intro & the “Blessed Times” interlude by AA Rashid, the first actual song “Mariota” with Stove God Cook$ kicks things off with a soulful beat & them saying you ain’t gotta worry whereas “Vogue Cover” is somewhat similar instrumentally except the 2 are talking about birds going fast. Mach-Hommy tags along for the jazzy “Margiela Split Toes” to spit that fly shit referencing the longest reigning 4-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, former 2-time ECW World Television Champion, the shortest-reigning NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, the inaugural MLW World Heavyweight Champion, WWE United States Champion, 2-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, XPW World Heavyweight Champion & WCW Hardcore Champion Shane Douglas alongside WWE Hall of Famers & former WWE Tag Team Champions The Brain Busters just before the dusty boom bap cut “Draymond” with Rome Streetz & Stove God includes a bar referring to the current 2-time WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns as well as WWE Hall of Famer, the 2nd longest reigning WWE Champion & WWE Tag Team Champion Bob Backlund whose first reign began after Vince McMahon Sr. had him defeat WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion & CWA World Heavyweight Champion “Superstar” Billy Graham.
Meanwhile on “Peri Peri”, we have West & Rome sticking around to jump on top of some keys & dusty drums to talk their shit leading into the Jadakiss-assisted “Right Now” working in another jazzy beat to get on their pyrex shit. “Westheimer” by Boldy James alongside Sauce Walka & Stove God Cook$ find the trio hopping on top of an old time loop saying they had no choice but to commit murder, but then West & Lil Wayne come together for the grimy “Bash Money” to brag about their riches with Weezy making a great lucha libre line popularized by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) owned by the Lutteroth family & it’s rival promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) owned by Peña–Roldán family.
The song “Claire’s Back” starts off with a boom bap joint & the FLYGOD referencing former 5-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, ECW World Tag Team Champion, アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン & XPW King of the Deathmatch Champion The Sandman until going into rock territory for Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher to spit that mafioso shit. The penultimate track “Spoonz” finds Hall ‘N Nash going back & forth with a meditative Conductor Williams instrumental, but then “716 Mile” reenlists Boldy for a wavy closer getting in their gangsta rap bag.
Although I like what I’m hearing from Hitler 8 so far, I think I’m gonna enjoy it more in context with Disc 2 when it drops a couple months from now. He didn’t have to put a feature on every single cut on here even though they all killed it, but I can definitely commend West for coming correct as much as the guests do & not rushing it like he did FLYGOD is an Awesome God II.
7xvethegenius is a 31 year old MC from Buffalo, New York breaking out a couple years ago off her debut EP The Calm Before & the full-length album 7xve is Love. This was followed up with the Self 7xve EP & then this past winter, she & Jae Skeese both became the first artists that Conway the Machine would sign to his newly formed Drumwork Music Group. Now since 7xve’s sophomore album albeit Drumwork debut Death of Deuce on the way, she’s preluding it by dropping her 3rd EP.
“Tunechi” is a trap-flavored opener produced by Chup with 7xve & Armani Caesar telling motherfuckers to ask about them whereas “Payback” has an atmospheric boom bap tone thanks to EYEKETYSON speaking on her family. “Roses” goes into jazz territory addressing her lover just before “Marching” returns to that trap sound talking her shit.
The song “Psalm” with Jae Skeese takes it back into jazz turf with the help of Camoflauge Monk saying they out their lives on wax while the penultimate track “If I” with Heem meditatively tells the good they can be anything. Finally, the closer “Bailey Ave” luxuriously pays homage to the street that she came up from.
I feel like this chick has only been getting better within the last 8 months or so. Everything from 7xve’s songwriting to the production choices have improved significantly in comparison to her previous efforts. At this rate, Death of Deuce could very well be her best work yet.
This is the 4th full-length album from Detroit emcee Boldy James. Breaking out in 2013 off his Alchemist produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set), he would land a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records for a little while before getting locked up. Uncle Al would help get Boldy’s name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China at the beginning of last year. This was followed up with the Sterling Toles-produced Manger on McNichols which was as equally fantastic, but the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. But with the 1-year anniversary of that project coming up this weekend, it’s only right for Boldy to reenlist Alchemist for Bo Jackson.
“Double Hockey Sticks” starts out with a haunting boom bap instrumental getting on his pyrex shit, but then has a hazy switch up talking about beating a case. The next song “Turpentine” has a more chipmunk soul vibe speaking on hard times whereas “Brickmile to Montana” with Benny the Butcher serves as a rugged sequel to “Scrape the Bowl”. The pianos on “E.P.M.D. (Everybody Plotting My Demise)” are eerie as fuck with Boldy calling out those who want to see him fail just before declaring that nobody is cut from his cloth for the airy “Steel Wool”.
Meanwhile on “Photographic Memories”, we have Earl Sweatshirt & Roc Marciano jump on top of a vocal loop saying they never forget faces leading into the demented storytelling “Speed Trap” provides. He later talks about taking the pot & going gold for the piano-laced “Diamond Dallas”, but then “Flight Risk” puts heavy reverb on the sample getting in his mafioso bag.
“Illegal Seizure & Search” gets back on the soulful tip talking about 5-0 whereas “Fake Flowers” with Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs viciously calls out those who be faking the funk with them. The song “3rd Person” has a more rock feel to it pondering how many times you can get away with murder while the penultimate track “First 48” is a cold blooded freestyle going on for 3 minutes. Then there’s “Drug Zone”, which ends the album with Boldy comparing himself to such.
If you happen to like Bo Jackson more than M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set) or even The Price of Tea in China, I wouldn’t be mad at it at all because this is the 3rd damn near perfect album they’ve done together. Boldy’s raw lyricism never fails to amuse me & the production is much better than The Versace Tape although I do respect Jay Versace.
This is the 8th mixtape from Detroit, Michigan rapper Peezy, Coming up as a part of the Team Eastside collective about a decade ago, he would later go on to release about a dozen solo projects beginning with Mud Muzik in 2014 & subsequently became one of the most prominent figures that the Motor City’s distinct trap scene has to offer. Dude just got out of prison back in February for racketeering & is now celebrating his freedom by dropping Free Rio.
“The Intro” opens up the tape by saying life is good on top of a synth-induced trap beat & some bells leading into the grim 6th installment of his ongoing “I’m Good” series. “I Don’t Know” is a hyphy banger about how he don’t miss whereas the Pooh Beatz-produced title track calls for Rio da Yung OG to be released from prison. Meanwhile on “Build a Bear”, we get an stripped back trap cut about making it out the jungle just before the lively d-boy anthem “We Don’t Scam”.
He continues on to declare himself as the “Million Dollar N***a” accompanied by a glossy instrumental, but then “Perc 10” works in some strings & rubbery bass to talk about sex. The penultimate track “Rio Flow” speaks on taking over the game attached to climatic production with the closer “Good & Bad” speaks on life shit & having a more lavish sound.
He’s pretty much a hometown O.G. at this point & Free Rio most definitely has to be amongst my favorite bodies of work that Peezy has released yet. You should already know what you’re getting yourself into in terms of the overall sound on here since the Detroit trap sound has it’s own ring to it, but dude’s bravado is charming as Hell & is paying homage to the very first artist that he ever took hunger his wing.
Lloyd Banks is a 39 year old MC from New York City gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo. After the group’s silent disbandment in 2015, he kept himself busy for a little while by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted back in January. Given that & his appearance on the upcoming Ransom EP 7 that’s dropping at the kickstart of next week, Banks is officially making a comeback with his 4th full-length album.
“Propane” serves as a devilish opener with Lloyd jumping on a piano-tinged boom bap instrumental rapping about running cats out the game, but then the next song “Sidewalks” advises listeners to avoid the wrong territory & the keyboard melodies on here from Cartune Beatz are more lavish in comparison to the opener. Freddie Gibbs tags along for the bleakly-produced “Empathy” as he & the Punchline King spit about being strong just before Roc Marciano comes into the fold for the soulful “Early Exit” to address the fact that they’ll always be respected.
Meanwhile on “Formaldehyde”, we get that drug dealer talk accompanied by Benny the Butcher backed by an icy beat just before going out for blood on the malicious “Death by Design” produced by Detroit’s very own The Olympicks. We go into a more trap sound on “Food” as Styles P accompanies Banks going at their competitions referencing Mayweather Promotions founder Floyd Mayweather before the slickly-produced “Crown” is a unique take on the saying “heavy is the head that wears the crown”. The song “Falsified” with Ransom goes back into boom bap territory as they both explain how they can’t trust anyone while Lloyd expresses his feeling of paranoia on the siren-induced “Break Me Down”.
I think “Commitment” does it’s job as a romantic ballad especially with the gorgeous sample Chase N. Cashe & then on “Pain Pressure Paranoia”, we get a powerful look at his demons. “Stranger Things” has a trippier sound as Banks explains that 50 changed on him & the theme carries it’s way into “Drop 5”, which has a cinematic instrumental & lyrics about betrayal.
The bells on “Panic” are a nice touch as it speaks on “not letting pride kill our vibe”, but then he says “if you’re gonna call yourself family stay that way” on the drumless “Smoke & Mirrors”. The penultimate song “Dishonorable Discharge” with Vado finds the 2 talks about backstabbers over a hypnotic sample & then the album finishes with the title track, which is an impassioning anthem telling you to find which path is yours.
I was wondering if this day would ever come given the 5 year gap between this & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury, but I’m happy it did because I think The Course of the Inevitable is the comeback that Lloyd deserves. He takes it back to the basement in terms of the overall sound & gets a lot off his chest lyrically with of course his clever punchlines remaining intact.
Mach-Hommy is a 38 year old MC from Newark, New Jersey breaking out in 2017 when he dropped his sophomore album H.B.O. (Haitian Body Odor) under Griselda Records. However, he & Tha God Fahim fell out with the label shortly after only for both of them to reconcile this past Christmas. But since May is Haitian Heritage Month, we have Mach marking his return to the Buffalo powerhouse by dropping his 5th full-length album to celebrate.
“The 26th Letter” is a trumpet-laced opener where Mach goes on about rearranging the whole game whereas the next song “No Blood Sweat” jumps on a pillowy Camoflauge Monk instrumental to say he taking food out cats’ mouths. Westside Gunn hops on “Folie á Deux” as he & Mach tell all the fuckboys that they’re finished over a psychedelic boom bap beat from Conductor Williams before declaring every day as Easter Gunnday on the soulful “Maxron Jaxon”.
“The Stellar Ray Theory” was a great choice for a lead single with its sax-heavy production & the lyrics about cats “blaming clouds on the rain & the sky” while he gets in his storytelling bag on “Marie” & I love the “Hail Mary” tribute in the hook. After the “Leta Yo” skit, Mach vents that he keeps seeing Deedee & Stevie in his naps with Nicholas Craven providing him with a bass guitar & a vocal loop for “Kriminel” just before declaring that he’s in his bag on the Sadhugold-produced “Pen Rale”.
“Murder Czn” with Westside Gunn of course a melancholic cut using for blood while Tha God Fahim tags along for the rich “Magnum Band” to help talk about having 357 on deck. The back & forth chemistry between Mach & Westside on the piano-tinged “Rami” is fantastic & after the “Kreyol” skit, the song “Au Revoir” goes into a more rock direction with the help of DJ Green Lantern as well as lyrics going at “pussy n****s”. The penultimate track “Blockchain” has a slowed down jazz sample throughout as Mach explains that there’s too many information highway cats riding the wave & then “10 Boxes: Sin Eater” is a dusty finisher saying he’s been wavy.
As much as I really enjoyed Pray for Paris, I can argue that Pray for Haiti is one of those immensely rare instances where the sequel album is better than the predecessor. We get a good look into Mach-Hommy’s Haitian roots whilst sticking to the raw lo-fi aesthetics we’ve all come to know & love from him.
This is the 9th EP from Beverly Hills producer, DJ & emcee The Alchemist. Coming up as 1/2 of The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan, the disbanded a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting. Mudfoot however, quickly established himself as a household name in hip hop production by working with a handful of the culture’s most iconic names ranging from Mobb Deep to Eminem. Last thing we heard from him solo wise was The Food Villain back in October & after producing the new Armand Hammer album Haram to universal acclaim last month, Uncle Al is staying busy by amassing 6 emcees for This Thing of Ours.
The opener “Nobles” weaves in a Sun Ra sample as Navy Blue & Earl Sweatshirt trade bars back & forth with one another while the next song “TV Dinners” is a bit oxymoronic with it’s calming instrumental along with Boldy James & Sideshow declaring themselves as soldiers through the lyrics. The penultimate track “Holy Hell” by Maxo & Pink Siifu goes on about the devil wanting their souls over a guitar & a vocal sample before Earl returns to talk about people nickel & diming on the trumpet-heavy closer “Loose Change”.
Not the best EP we’ve heard from The Alchemist, but still an enjoyable listen. His production is a lot more chilled out in comparison to Haram & despite a couple of the guest MCs providing weak verses, most of them do what they do best.
Khrysis is a 39 year old producer & occasional MC from Durham, North Carolina coming up 1/2 of the duo The Away Team alongside Sean Boog. He’s also a key member of Jamla Records’ in-house production team The Soul Council, lacing a chockfull of albums for the label up to this point. But with 4 solo albums under his belt already, Khrysis is celebrating 4/20 by dropping a 5th one.
The opener “Never Change” is actually Khrysis himself spitting about always staying true over some bongos & a guitar, but then the next song “Granted” by Mumu Fresh is literally her expressing hope that she doesn’t get taken for granted over a funky instrumental with some popping drums. The song “Delta9” by Geechi Suede is of course about getting stoned & the instrumental has a trippier edge to it, but then “Mr. Big Mouth II” by De La Soul goes into a boom bap direction as the trio deliver a sequel to “Big Mouth” off their 2009 mixtape Are You In?.
The Away Team reunite like they haven’t stopped working together on the keyboard-laced “The Return” & then “Why?” by Jason Martin is about being clueless towards the haters he has on top of a soul sample & some militant drums. The song “Asylum” by Evidence is more synth-induced as he spits about being an original gentleman, but then “Colombian Necktie” returns to the boom bap sound as Niko Is delivers one of the more underwhelming performances on the album.
“The Code” by Chi-Ali is a jazzier cut that’s about him being happy to be released from prison after murdering his ex-girlfriend’s brother while “The Devil Wears Designer” by Reuben Vincent is about a deceitful woman over a horn-inflicted beat. “Negro Spiritual” finds Khrysis joining Busta Rhymes & Pharoahe Monch has a crooning vocal sample in the back as the trio spit that Black Power shit, but then “The Disrespect” by Rapsody & Sa-Roc goes into that College Dropout sound as the 2 go in about being disrespected.
The penultimate track “Keep on Walkin’” by Del the Funky Homosapien is a piano-boom bap banger about how nobody owes you shit & then the album finishes off with “Be Alright”, which is Khrysis himself hopping on top of a soul-tinged Eric G. instrumental to spit about working too hard for earn loyalty.
In comparison to his previous solo efforts, I think this is Khrysis’ best one yet. There are only a couple guests I could’ve done without, but almost every one of them delivery fiery performances as the dude presents a well-tuned showcasing of what he’s capable of doing behind the boards with a dash of his MC skills every here & there.
Conway the Machine is a 39 year old MC & entrepreneur from Buffalo, New York who blew up in late 2015 as part of the 3 OGs of Griselda Records alongside his brother Westside Gunn & their cousin Benny the Butcher. Ever since the trio have rose to prominence, they’ve had hip hop on lock by their constant work ethic balancing quality & quality as well as vividly detailing their lives in the streets on top of boom bap production kin to that of RZA & Havoc in their music. Con’s full-length debut From King to a God was my Album of the Year for 2020 & his sophomore effort with Big Ghost Ltd. that just came out a couple months ago If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed is a worthy sequel to No One Mourns the Wicked. But just when even thought we were getting the Shady Records-backed God Don’t Make Mistakes next, we’re getting another prelude album out of the woodwork.
“Bruiser Brody” named after the WWE Hall of Famer is a grimy opener from the boom bap production from JR Swiftz to the lyrics calling out those who pray on his downfall whereas the Bangladesh-produced “6:30 Tip Off” is a jazz-trap fusion speaking on his profit. The song “Blood Roses” is about how “I came to prove I came improved” with a spiritual beat from Cardiak, but then “Clarity” opens up on how he spares “no feelings when my pen is movin’” on top of a soulful trap instrumental from Don Cannon.
The track “KD” has a weepy trap instrumental from Murda Beatz with lyrics talks about those speaking on Conway’s legacy while “200 Pies” with 2 Chainz of course gets on that pusher shit & the bare loop that The Alchemist comes through with is hypnotic as fuck. “Sister Abigail” is a dusty boom bap tune named where The Machine recruits his new protégés Jae Skeese & 7xvethegenius for a homage to to former 3-time WWE world champion & 2-time WWE tag team champion Bray Wyatt’s signature move of the same name, but then Jae returns on the peppily-produced “Grace” to talk about how they don’t live in disguise to get their blessings.
The song “Scatterbrain” brings in J.I.D & Ludacris to get murderous on top of a frigid instrumental, but then Elcamino & Shots Almigh hop on Had to Hustle” to speak on what they had to do to get where they are now. The closer “S.E. Gang” serves as a response to those who said Conway was leaving Griselda earlier this year as he, Westside Gunn & Benny the Butcher spit that mafioso shit over a flute sample from Daringer.
Not what I was expecting from Conway, but still a dope album regardless. In comparison to him returning to a more grimier sound on If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed, I like how he continues to build off the the versatility that From King to a God brought. Whenever the time for God Don’t Make Mistakes comes, I’ll be more than ready to hear where he takes it.
Legends Will Never Die 