Scatz – “F.T.O.S. II (Fuck the Other Side II)” review

This is the 8th EP from Flint, Michigan rapper Scatz. Introducing himself 3 years ago with his debut EP Kyriee Krazy followed by the debut mixtape Yung N***a World, his next 5 EPs SharkLoto, Gift of Gab, Yung Dirty Bastard, The Biggest & Yung Dirty Bastard all the following year caught the attention of Rio da Yung O.G. & signed the 6 Ward Lord to M.I.N.E. Entertainment behind bars. F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side) celebrated its 1-year anniversary last month, so it makes sense for him to drop a sequel on Halloween.

“Talkin’ Dumb” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. starts with both them over a Flint trap instrumental spitting a whole bunch of gang shit whereas “Jog” works in some 808s & pianos referencing the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s secondary flagship program Friday Night SmackDown. “1 of 1” flexes that the body he hit with the switch has become unique in it’s own way just before “Can’t Forget” featuring 2800 Twin decently trades verses with one another.

We have Scatz understandably representing his squad on “It’s M.I.N.E.” for a good 2 minutes while “Cheddar Bob” references DJ Rec, who inspired the popular 8 Mile character of the same name. “Fluffy” featuring Baby TR delves deeper into the gangsta lifestyle taking 2 blocks & keeping only 1 while “Lulu” featuring Doonie talks about both of them having more stripes than the British luxury fashion house Burberry.

“Make a Bet” featuring FTOS Swan promises to walk victims down in Rick Owens instead of wearing Prada while “King of the Hill” give a nod to the Hulu serves of the same name set to premiere season 15 in 2026 in light of seasons 16 & 17 being ordered. “Facts” wraps up F.T.O.S. II (Fuck the Other Side) II with him talking about shooting up a crib every single week with the sole purpose of testing his groove.

Gotta be honest: As much as I enjoy the original F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side) last fall, its spiritual successor feels a bit mediocre in comparison. I don’t mind the production nor do I have any criticisms with Scatz’ own performances, but the guest list is more inconsistent with only 1 of the 5 sticking out & that being none other than Rio.

Score: 3/5

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KanKan – “F.E.B. (FUK EVRY BDY)” review

Finally getting the 3rd studio LP from Dallas, Texas recording artist & producer KanKan. Emerging in 2019 as a member of Slayworld & by landing production credits for a wide range of artists from Summrs to even Little Pimp, he’s also dropped an eponymous debut mixtape as well as 21 EPs & a couple full-lengths. Although it’s already been a few years since we last heard from Kan, he’s returning over 25 months following his sophomore effort Way2Geeked by releasing F.E.B. (FUK EVRY BDY) only less than 24 hours since it was even announced.

“Fuk What U Sayin’” begins the comeback with a plugg instrumental talking about the old version of him being history whereas “Make No Sense” flexes that he counts racks & hits the border immediately after. “All Typa Shit” has one of my favorite beats on the entire album talking about luxurious materials just before the exuberant “Thru da Storm” floors it when everyone chooses to take off.

As for “Redeye Flight”, we have Kan talking about spraying mags & having a brand new stash while “Group Home” boasts that he counts new money on a daily basis like it’s some kind of cycle. “3Skii” goes for a more sinister atmosphere carrying ice around his neck & his cup after being away for so long while “Overtime” tells the coach to put him in the game since it’s going past regulation.

“Told” continues to finish up the first half of F.E.B. (FUK EVRY BDY) with some synthesizers talking about him keeping everything P while “Fuk How They Feel” accidentally spills lean all over his Rick Owens jeans, raising his prices as a result of the whole mishap. “It Get Scary” talks about having absolutely 0 love for the other side leading into “Yellow Taped” boasting that he & his friends have made millions with one another.

Moving on from there, “Real Solja” talks about only poppin’ out for a check & whacking artists instead of trying to collaborate with them while “Wet ‘Em Up” flexes that he’s so high in the sky the point where he’s gonna have to need a parachute. “BMG (Long Live Scooter)” gives his flowers to the late Young Scooter who tragically lost his life on his birthday this spring while “Ain’t No Turnin’ Back” refuses to waste any more of his time.

“Can’t Wait Up” talks about his big dog status with new money coming at an impressively consistent rate while the pluggnb-driven “Bringin’ Me Back” tackles the concept of drug addiction, always relapsing whenever he attempts at kickin’ the habit. “Can’t Go Back” finds himself unwilling to climb back at the top since it can be lonely at times while “So Many Nights” talks about having dreams of his death.

The song “Outta Town” gets ready to conclude F.E.B. (FUK EVRY BDY) by leaving the city with a freak hoe getting geeked up with one another while “All Black” talks about his outfit preferences treating the Wock like it’s some kind of trophy. “RR P.R.E.” featuring Summrs however reunites both Slayworld alumni to finish things off calling for all their homies who’re locked behind bars at the moment slidin’ to the function with black trucks & masks up.

Some of you may remember me condemning the series of transphobic disses Dave Blunts hurled towards KanKan’s way during the same weekend as the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s WrestleMania XLI when You Can’t Say That was released & to the surprise of absolutely nobody, F.E.B. (FUK EVRY BDY) clears it by taking it back to the prominently heavy plugg leanings of self-titled down to it’s secondary influences of cloud rap & trap.

Score: 4/5

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The Alchemist & Hit-Boy – “Goldfish” review

Beverly Hills producer, DJ & rapper The Alchemist joining forces with Fontana producer, rapper & singer/songwriter Hit-Boy for their long-awaited collaborative LP. Both of whom have respectively become amongst the most in-demand beatsmiths, with Uncle Al ranking amongst my top 10 producers ever. They’ve crossed paths with each other on multiple instances whether it be producing Benny the Butcher’s 4th album Everybody Can’t Go or Big Hit’s sophomore Blacks & Whites, but are finally dropping Goldfish a little over a couple years in the making.

“Doing My Best” finds the 2 trading bars with one another over a sumptuous Hit-Boy beat they cooked up together to begin while the jazzy single “Business Merger” turns up the watts whilst beating up the pots. “Show Me the Way” takes the drumless chipmunk soul route instrumentally thanks to Uncle Al feeling confident they won’t ever be the same people they once were prior leading into the Conway the Machine solo track “Mick & Cooley”.

Alchemist & Hit-Boy get back on the mic during the soulful “Ask for Me” talking about being on the low with the only thing you gotta do is simply ask while “Ricky” hooks up an pretty orchestral sample so Uncle Al can reflect that a 2-parent household is all he & his siblings ever knew. “Groupie Love” brings back the drumless chipmunk soul vibes getting rotation on the radio after doing a freestyle just before “Celebration Moments” talks about wanting the crown now.

“Home Improvement” primarily has a smooth drumless sound until the drums come in full gear near the end of both verses delivered from a deeply introspective place while “Recent Memory” talks about their only competition being themselves. “Walk in Faith” continues the sampling until a switch-up during Hit-Boy’s part freezing because of the cold world we’re in & “Not Much” featuring Boldy James soulfully flexes their own individual spaces as MCs.

Continuing to holding it down by themselves “Drawing Bridges” talks about there being nothing to take because nothing was given in the beginning while “All Gas No Breaks” featuring Big Hit & Jay Worthy finds the quartet applying pressure to the pedal. “God’s Great” officially ends Goldfish giving praise to the most high over a pitched sample while “Morrissey” starts the deluxe run comparing their lives to theatrical films.

“The Main Event” structurally is built a lot similarly to “Slipping Into Darkness” where Hit-Boy’s rhyming over an Alchemist instrumental & vice versa with the exception Johnathan Hulett’s briefly sung verse following Uncle Al’s & the final bonus track “Don’t Be Gone” flips a Chicago Gangsters deep cut going back-&-forth with each other on top of drumless sampling for a little over 3 minutes.

Goldfish isn’t really any different from what The Alchemist has done with Oh No under the Gangrene moniker for the past 15 years aside from the Conway joint & that’s not a criticism because Hit-Boy has already proven himself to be a capable MC on Surf or Drown alongside it’s sequel. The west coast veterans gel with one another exceptionally on the mic as they have in the past producing for other artists.

Score: 4/5

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Jason Martin – “A Hit Dog Gonna Holla” review

Compton, California emcee, songwriter & producer Jason Martin reuniting with Mike & Keys for his 4th EP. Originally known as Problem, he would go on to release over a dozen mixtapes as well as 4 full-length studio albums & a couple EPs. I can’t forget to mention both collaborative efforts DJ Quik, the first being Rosecrans back in 2017 & the follow-up Chupacabra days before Kendrick Lamar’s now historic 1-off Pop Out concert at the Kia Forum. Almost a whole year since Repack, they’re reuniting so A Hit Dog Gon Holla.

After the “Guns & Sandwiches” intro, “Let Me Roll My J” chops up a soul sample talking about looking to party until the sunrise whereas “Things You Learn While on the Grind” soulfully reflects on what he’s learned since hustling. “Docusign” gives off a drumless chipmunk soul vibe talking about not tripping over any obstacles while “Flu Game Jordan” continues to strip the drums so he can progress through extortion.

“We Know the Truth” continued with a hazy boom bap route talking about hearing nonstop cap spewing out these muhfuckas mouths while “Tee’d” drumlessly reminds us that everything comes with a fee instead of simply being granted to us. “Laugh Now Laugh Later” talks about how everybody be lying but after the “Goofy” skit, “Thang’s Just Ain’t the Same for Gangsters” calls back to “The Watcher”by Dr. Dre & sends off the EP being “Above the Noise”.

There was a lot of mixed reception towards the Repack last fall because of all the features on it & I’m pretty sure Jason Martin heard those criticisms since he takes up all of A Hit Dog’s Gonna Holla’s vocal performances by himself & results in an extended play that I prefer a lot more than the last 1 we got from him. Mike & Keys’ production returns to a traditional west coast sound coming off Tony Shhnow’s 8th album Self Portrait last month & Jason singlehandedly silences those who thought he had become reliant towards guests.

Score: 4.5/5

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3200 Tre – “Real Mitten Baby” review

Lansing, Michigan rapper 3200 Tre surprise-releasing his 3rd studio LP. Introducing himself on wax during the fall of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic had completely shut the world down, he has since built up his last dozen EPs along with the full-length debut Michigan Music & of course the sophomore effort 30ville all during the first half of this ongoing decade. Signing to Rio da Yung O.G.’s very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint M.I.N.E. Entertainment last summer, coming off the Spin the Block EP to tell the story of a Real Mitten Baby.

“Thug n Savage” was a cloudy trap intro suggesting to keep a switch on you at all times since a lot of people have betrayed him & knowing they’ll do it again to others whereas “Chrome Case” taps into the Detroit sound responding to those saying he ain’t rich. “GTA VI” makes witty references to Rockstar Games’ flagship franchise while “Bounce Back” confesses he’s nowhere near where he’s supposed to be.

Jakesand produces my personal favorite track here “Snapchat” talking about flying to the paper regardless of how far it is leading into “Pamper” ignoring any incoming calls unless money’s involved. Project X” featuring Babyfxce E moderately finds the pair spitting gangsta-themed lyrics over a Detroit trap instrumental while the superiorly entertaining “Pep Rally” featuring RMC Mike trades verses with each other for 2 & a half minutes.

“4 Weeks” featuring Head Osama marks the my the only guest appearance I could’ve done without despite wanting to change the whole game by pressing 1 button just before “Good Day” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. makes up for it with both of them talking about making $1M in a single day. “New Number” discusses standing on business because he’s well-known gun tucker while “The People’s Champ” heavily samples “The Sweet Escape” by Gwen Stefani.

The penultimate track “Left 4 Dead” gives a nod to the cooperative first-person shooter survival horror video game franchise that the Valve Corporation publishes, which put a smile in my face because the 2009 sequel’s amongst the greatest games of all-time. Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention “Hold the Cheers”, which is the official Real Mitten Baby outro posing the question of how the fuck this cornball got motion when Tre’s nowhere near it & taking Ws.

Spin the Block was a fun Flint/Detroit sound EP to officially ring in the summer & now with Halloween approaching at the end of the month, 3200 Tre once again makes another example as to why he & his Real Money Counters brethren RMC Mike or fellow labelmates Scatz & the incarcerated Baby Ghost make M.I.N.E. Entertainment an interesting label telling the story of what it’s been like for Tre growing up as a Real Mitten Baby.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jeezy – “Still Snowin’” review

Brand new mixtape & the 15th altogether for Atlanta, Georgia rapper, songwriter, trap pioneer & actor Jeezy. Emerging in the early 2000s off his full-length debut T.U.I. (Thuggin’ Under the Influence) & the sophomore effort Come Shop wit Me, his biggest breakthrough wouldn’t come until 2004 where he began a partnership with Def Jam Recordings that’s going on strong to this very day & dropped the classic Thug Motivation 101: Let’s Get It the following summer. Subsequent discography highlights would include Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration, The Recession, Thug Motivation 103: Hustler’z Ambition, Seen It All: The Autobiography & even The Recession 2 that came out the day after his Verzuz battle against longtime rival Gucci Mane during the COVID-19 pandemic. He went back to basics with the help of DJ Drama on Snofall fulfilling his Def Jam contract & is looking to do it again with Still Snowin’ a couple years since I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget.

The funky instrumental on the title track produced by DJ Toomp & Don Cannon took me by surprise to start the tape although Jeezy nonetheless comes correct flexing that he’s still making it snow whereas “Slide for Sho” turns up the funk to turn the clubs up. “Treason” works in some sampling so he can refuse to waste his time on the people who’ve betrayed him while “Snowman Party” has a bit of a jazzier tone talking about his parties being unique.

“Inside My Soul” continues the incredible choice of samples making his grandmother proud maintaining the plug motivation while “My Friends” brings back the funk talking about not being the kind to cheat on his homies. “Another Sad Song” discusses the truth of it taking a coward to shoot up a school referring to the Evergreen tragedy in Colorado earlier this month while “Bruce Wayne” likens himself to the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment franchise’s protagonist.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “The Whole Town” soulfully dedicates itself to all the 80s babies just before the funky “Don’t Play ‘Bout Me” cautions everyone to not fuck around with him. “Head to the Sky (You Can Win)” takes an optimistically uplifting approach conceptually over chopping up more soul samples while “Anything” returns to funkier territory taking aim at people who’ll say whatever about him.

“Hustler’s Paradise” hooks up some slick sampling to give some peace of mind since God has done him some favors over the course of his life while “Keep That Same Energy” talks about feeling like Kanye on the night of the 2009 MTV VMA Awards when he notoriously interrupted Taylor Swift’s Best Female Video acceptance speech & later put out his 2nd best album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy behind The College Dropout.

The song “Thug Life Again” nears the conclusion of Still Snowin’ soulfully making it known that he’s still living that Corporate Thug lifestyle now that CTE World is no longer distributed by a major label while the funky “Back for More” talks about his entrepreneurship. “If You Don’t Know Me” dabbles with drumless for 107 seconds to ends by reflecting on giving the streets everything but his life & time everything except for tears.

Commemorating 2 whole decades of both Trap or Die & Thug Motivation 101: Let’s Get It respectively, both Don Cannon & DJ Toomp give Jeezy a more jazzier sound than some of output in this current decade & it’s welcomed as much as I loved The Recession 2 alongside Snofall & I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll have to make a Recession 3 at some point within the next few years & if that’s the case, this is a mature prelude to it.

Score: 4.5/5

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Peezy – “Still Ghetto” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Detroit, Michigan rapper Peezy. A part of the Team Eastside collective about a little over 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. I covered his 8th mixtape Free Rio in 2022 when he got out of prison back at the beginning of that year for racketeering followed by his full-length debut Only Built 4 Diamond Links as well as the sophomore effort Ghetto & the Small Town Ghetto EP last winter, the latter of which preluded Still Ghetto.

“City’s Mine” was an enticing intro to the LP talking about the agreement amongst many that he’s taken over the 313 whereas “The Warm Up” featuring French Montana flexes that they jump shots before they ball, although French’s appearance was unwarranted. “So Ghetto” featuring Icewear Vezzo finds the 2 making up for it with a Detroit trap highlight repping their city while “All That” featuring Chicken P made for an underwhelming single choice.

Rick Ross joins Peezy on the exuberant “Hide the Rest” talking about money coming with respect around their individual parts leading into “It’s Givin’” featuring YG Teck returns to the Detroit sound albeit for one of the weaker collaborations on the entire album. “Lovin’ on Me” blends Detroit trap & pop rap working in some distinct sampling for a couple minutes while “Bond 9” featuring RMC Mike advises not to tell anyone if they fall for the love of these women.

“My Brother” featuring 42 Dugg talks about everyone thinking they went broke when they were actually saving money & letting it stack to the ceiling while “Main Artery” suggest that he might be one of the realist left since he stands on business. “Texas Shit” featuring G Herbo & THF Law would’ve been a lot more interesting if you took THF Law off it personally while “Playboi Carti” featuring 2 Chainz blends jazz rap & trap to shut the lots down.

Starting the final leg, “If I Can Make It” advises that anyone can survive out the trenches if he can while “Let’s Talk About It” featuring Babyface Ray reflects on being told to get the money instead of becoming famous. “‘96 Impala” featuring Larry June unites for an ode to Chevy Impalas & once “Daydreaming” talks about making others feel like he was there when the story he’s telling occurred, “Give It All” featuring Big Sean finishes with both of them putting everything in this music shit.

Serving as a sequel to Ghetto a few years ago, Still Ghetto maintains the attitude of its predecessor with the most star-studded offering of Peezy’s entire discography. That said: I came away from this album liking it only slightly less than the EP we got him 9 months earlier. Could’ve done without a few guest performers’ contribution, but many of them stick the landing whether it be locally or outside the Michigan area looking both within & beyond the Murder Mitten to propagate what he’s helped pioneer in the city.

Score: 3/5

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Jay Worthy – “Once Upon a Time” review

Here is the double full-length studio debut from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada born albeit Compton, California raised emcee Jay Worthy. Coming on my radar 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 called 2 P’z in a Pod even though initial plans of putting it out through Griselda Records fell through for whatever reason. Harry Fraud produced You Take the Credit, We’ll Take the Check & DJ Muggs did What They Hittin’ 4 to significant acclaim, but the Roc Marciano-produced Nothing Bigger Than the Program was still good despite having too many features & the DāM-FunK produced Magic Hour improved on that as did The Tonite Show 2 entirely produced by DJ Fresh last fall. Almost a decade in the making however, Once Upon a Time has finally arrived.

After the “Beginning” intro, the first song “‘96 Big Body” gets the ball rollin’ with a smooth ass beat recalling the days when he was driving around in this fresh whip 3 decades earlier whereas “The Only 1” featuring Kamaiyah works in a Mobb beat from Cardo addresses those who thought they were the only pimps around. “For the Homies” produced by DJ Quik sends a shoutout to all of those in their lives who can’t be here leading into the g-funk heavy “Rekkless” looking back at his youth.

“Open Minded” instrumentally reminds me of something The Neptunes would’ve produced in the early/mid 2000s praising his girl for keeping that exact type of mentality while “From the Jump” featuring E-40, Jim Jones, Ohgeesy & Wiz Khalifa brings the quintet together over a DJ Fresh beat or Harry Fraud on the remix talking about how long they’ve been putting it down. “Dark Tints” featuring 03 Greedo strips the drums thanks to Conductor Williams refusing to stop what they started while “Famous Players” slickly gets in his pimp bag.

As for “Tides”, we have Jay Worthy on top of a drumlessly summery instrumental with lyrics about wanting a woman that he’s never even met by his side while “Bellagio” featuring Conway the Machine charismatically flexes of making music for the famous Las Vegas, Nevada hotel of the same name. “Choosing Shoes” featuring Boldy James keeps the drums out the equation painting imagery of the gangsta lifestyle while “2P’z” featuring Larry June recaptures the aura of their 2022 collab effort.

“True Story” featuring Ty$ starts the final moments of Disc 1 by touching on some real life shit over a Hit-Boy beat while “The Outcome” featuring Ab-Soul, Dave East & Westside Gunn unites the quartet for a 4 & a half minute barfest accompanied by a sample-heavy beat that The Alchemist cooked up real realizing that this is the very moment where he & guests should observe the results. “Jive 95” featuring Bun B & Spice 1 after the “Skrappordie” interlude opens Disc 2 to go by the cheat code while “Daytons” featuring Mack 10 gives a fuck you to all of the haters they have.

Wallie the Sensei joins Worthy for the Mobb-inspired “Know My Worth” waking up to the money since they don’t know if being broke or dead is worse while “Escape from LA” featuring B-Legit & Jay 305 comes together for a Bay Area tribute. “Sake” featuring Curren$y talks about feeling more like they’re vacation rather than being on the run while the drumless “Blade Runner” featuring Roc Marciano refers to themselves as big game hunters.

“I’ll Be Fine” featuring Vicasso hops over a g-funk beat to talk about their diametric approach to making music while the funky “Gang Shit” reunited with DJ Muggs so he can admit that he doesn’t like stunt because of his humbleness. “Bix in the Morning” featuring Ice-T heavily samples “6 ‘N tha Mornin’” for a generational gangsta rap crossover while “P-Funkentelechy” sends a love letter to Parliament-Funkadelic.

The track “Angel Dust” starts Once Upon a Time’s final act with a psychedelic Thundercat instrumental talking about PCP while the jazzy “Worthy vs. Getty” recalls a story that occurred in 2003. Prior to the “End” outro however, “Runnin’ Outta Time” is what officially finishes responding to people who think they know him by saying that he doesn’t recognize them from his hood with Terrace Martin playing piano.

Although What They Hittin’ 4 still remains my personal favorite entry in Jay Worthy’s discography, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that the 30 song & almost 90 minute Once Upon a Time sticks out as the most star-studded musical opus he’s ever conceived. Bridging the east & the west coast with its admirably versatile guest list, the production mostly takes its cues from the westside to cohesively tell a story of authentically resilient ambition.

Score: 4.5/5

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Cardo – “Sigan Viendo” review

St. Paul, Minnesota producer & rapper Cardo celebrating his birthday week with a sophomore effort. Notable for lacing a couple standout tracks on Wiz Khalifa’s best mixtape Kush & Orange Juice, he would later go on to become one of the most in-demand beatsmiths in recent memory producing hits ranging from “THat Part” by ScHoolboy Q featuring Ye formerly known as Kanye West to “goosebumps” by Travis Scott featuring Kendrick Lamar or more recently “euphoria”, the latter serving as the first of 4 Drake disses. MADeMAN put his lyrical abilities to full display last fall & he’s looking to do it again with Sigan Viendo.

The intro by Nutso Thugn’ was an ok single mainly because I think the instrumental outshines Nutso’s performances while “texture” by born bad! has the same issues, most notably sampling “Knuck If You Buck” by the Crime Mob at a few points of the song that give it a dirty south vibe. “bad posture” by born bad! & YoDogg fuses cloud rap & trap to talk about not standing on what you speak on giving them that exact kind of energy while “hotr” by YoDogg angrily flexes that he’s a 1 man rumble.

“1st Chamber” by Skufl has this woozy approach to the beat speaking of working hard for his paper while the Mobb-influenced “Lately” by Nasaan & 21 Lil Harold was an unexpected pairing & 1 that I felt where Nasaan smoked Lil Harold. A favorite track of mine is easily “know he dead” by Rio da Yung O.G. tapping into the Flint sound & making it look easy while “gwfyn!” by born bad! samples “Make ‘Em Say UHH!” by Master P featuring Fiend, Mia X, Mystikal & Silkk the Shocker.

2025 XXL Freshman Samara Cyn getting her on track with “spooky” makes me happy since I highly enjoyed her Backroads EP earlier this summer delivering some of the best flows on the LP while “bonkerz” by Count Faces & Mathias Young sums up the way I felt soon as the beat dropped. “Came from Nothin’” by Oodaredevil will go down as amongst of the greatest songs the Texas Tycoon has ever done while “lemmehavit” by BBYKOBE heads for a hypnotic direction instrumentally.

“Free 5” by Redd Cold Hearted starts the final leg with the Atlanta rapper at her hardest since her appearance on “Middle of the Summer” off Playboi Carti’s full-length debut Die Lit while “board games” by Zukenee gives us a taste of what’s to come from his upcoming Zudo project, which already sounds like his most important body of work to date. Lil Yachty’s contribution to “beans” concludes Sigan Viendo by going harder than he did on the 5$tarCrete EP that Concrete Rekordz put out last month.

The idea of Cardo taking a backseat vocally throughout Sigan Viendo to focus on his production talents & recruit a myriad of guests taking up the mic needless to say seems like a refreshing change of pace on paper as a longtime fan of his talents behind the boards. However, I find myself enjoying this less than I did MADeMAN exactly 365 days ago. There’s nothing wrong with the beats, although I’m more on the fence with the list of performers.

Score: 3/5

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TR Dee – “Trapped in My Bag 4ever” review

Detroit rapper TR Dee hitting us with his 8th 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 mixtapes Trapped in My Bag & Made for This ahead of his debut album M.I.P. (Most Improved Player). He has since given us 5 more tapes in Trapped in My Bag 2, Crunch Time, Ice Trae, Trapped in My Bag 3 & Early Mornings, Late Nights followed by the sophomore effort The Greatest. His Evolution revealed itself last September & the Dog $hit Militia member is finding himself Trapped in My Bag 4ever.

“In My Bag 4Ever” was the most aptly picked choice of an intro talking about popping bottles because he’s scratching off goals whereas “Generational Wealth” cautioning that the reaper will come for any person who chooses to cross him. “Jabbawockee” goes for a cloudier direction instrumentally flexing that he’s hot enough to burn people’s eyes while “Hypnotized” talks about a woman not leaving him alone.

Meanwhile on “Death Note”, we have TR Dee talking about his days looking sunnier than they were prior to his music career taking off leading into “Island Vibes” knowing if one’s really from the trenches based on whether or not they’ve stolen a bike. “Larry Byrd” by the Dookie Brothers finds the pair giving a nod to the hick from French Lick himself just before “Saiyan” talks about always being in his bag because he’s stuck in it.

“Woosah” featuring Sada Baby & Stanwill takes the lowend route thanks to Certified Trapper promising that they won’t take back anyone who winds up leaving them while “Hawaiian Punch” talks about ignoring anyone who brings negativity his way. “Overtime” produced by Danny G speaks of never going against the grain & being the one who does the stuntin’ while “Mona Lisa” talks about tracking his whip if it’s stolen.

The 2nd act of Trapped in My Bag 4Ever begins to wind down on “Missed My Flight” venting his frustrations of a plane he was supposed to get on taking off without him because he was up the entire evening previously grinding until taking aim at everybody that stays talking shit about him & the squad, suggesting they should “Back It Up” since their flips won’t stop flapping.

“Pork & Beans” hooks up some pianos & 808s advises to run the tape up in preparation for an upcoming tour & the closer “Stone Cold Stunner” references 2-time 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.

Starting the deluxe run, “Not Gonna Learn” jumps over a Danny G & Jakesand instrumental talking about waking up those sleeping on him as if a thunderstorm’s occurring while “1 Man Army” featuring Org 6 suggests selling their catalog to prevent going broke. “Wake Up” hooks up some bells to talk about his jewelry dancing wherever he goes while “Icey Plunger” by the ShittyBoyz excitingly tosses the mic back-&-forth with each other.

“Durantula” was a welcoming attempt at Danny experimenting with lowend & TR Dee talking about D$M not being the ones to fuck with while “Let ‘Em Cook” compares himself to a chef the way he be cookin’. Roll Call” talks about possibly engaging in money fights even if it’ll last the entire evening while “Above the Rim” refuses to slide his mans let alone the people who gave him a hand when he needed it the most.

The song “Make It Quick” talks about not having any competition because they’ll all wind up getting lyrically slain by him & not going Hollywood because he isn’t done with music while the final bonus track “Kidz Bop” technically wraps things up wishing he had eyes in the back of his head to see who’s speaking ill of him when he’s not looking or who wouldn’t care if God forbid something happened to him.

You can’t go wrong with the first 3 installments of the Trapped in My Bag series although Crunch Time sticks out as my favorite TR Dee tape but anyway, I didn’t mind Evolution as others because his growth after 5 now 6 years in the game was right in front of us & that very much carries itself over onto Trapped in My Bag 4Ever. It’s like the same energy from the previous Trapped in My Bag entries is being recaptured with a different perspective.

Score: 4/5

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