Yelawolf – “Ghetto Cowboy” review

Yelawolf is a 39 year old rapper, singer & producer from Gadsden, Alabama who first came onto the scene in 2005 with an honestly mediocre debut album Creekwater. He eventually broke out onto the mainstream in 2010 with his Trunk Muzik mixtape & eventually signed to Shady Records/Interscope Records & releasing his sophomore album Radioactive: Amazing & Mystifying Chemical Tricks the following year. A focused grouped, yet still fun major label debut. He then returned in 2015 with Love Story, where he started to incorporate country & rock music into his style. But when his childhood friend Shawty Fatt passed away at the tail-end of 2016, it caused him to disappear from the scene for a while. The man fortunately returned with Trial by Fire, a self-produced & refined sequel to Love Story. Yelawolf just fulfilled his contract with Shady/Interscope this past March with Trunk Muzik III & a little over 7 months later, we’re now getting his 6th full-length album.

After the “Mama Wolf” intro, we go into the first song “Unnatural Born Killer”. Where Yela claims himself as just that over an abrasive instrumental. The track “Opie Taylor” finds Catfish Billy comparing himself to the famous Ron Howard character of the same name over a relaxing instrumental from DJ Klever while “Box Chevy VII” is another banging installment of Yelawolf’s titular song series.

The song “Here I Am” talks about whooping someones ass referencing Facebook founder & Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg over a sweet guitar line while the track “Still Ridin’” talks about leaving Shady/Interscope over a funky bass-line & some keys. The song “Lightning” tells the story of Tommy over a horror-esque instrumental while the track “Renegades” is taken off of Yelawolf’s 2016 EP H.O.T.E.L. (House Of The Endless Life).

The song “So Long” is a decent country rap anthem about relationship issues while the track “You & Me” is a cool follow-up. After the DJ Paul skit, he actually gets with Yelawolf on “Country Rich” to talk about being a rich hip hop artist from the south over an acoustic guitar co-produced by TWhy. The penultimate track “Keep on Rollin’” with Big Henry & Cub da CookUpBoss is an average sequel to the song they did on Trunk Muzik III. The album then finishes off with the titular song, where Yelawolf declares himself as such over a druggy beat.

For this being his first release off Shady/Interscope, I enjoy this. It’s like a mixture between the Trunk Muzik era as well as the Love Story & Trial by Fire eras. If this is the road he wants to keep traveling down in the future, then I’m all for it.

Score: 3.5/5

Westside Gunn – “Hitler Wears Hermes VII” review

This is the latest mixtape from Buffalo, New York emcee & entrepreneur Westside Gunn, who first rose to stardom in 2016 with his debut album FLYGOD. This has been continued with a handful of mixtapes, his 2018 sophomore album Supreme Blientele & his own label Griselda Records even signing a distribution deal with Shady Records. Westside has a history of releasing new installments of his Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series on Halloween & despite being delayed a day, this is the 4th year in a row of that.

The opener “FCKNXTWK” finds Westside providing a very brief verse as DJ Drama’s pretty much talking all over some harmonious vocals in the back while the next song “Broadway Joes” is a self proclamation as the King of New York over a rugged beat. The track “Size 42” gets cutthroat over an eerie Daringer beat while the song “Connie’s Son” brags over a soulful beat.

The track “Banana Yacht” with Estee Nack finds the 2 flexing over a grand instrumental & while I like how menacing “GONDEK” is, it’s way too short. The track “Kelly’s Korner” with Fat Joe sees the 2 getting bloodthirsty over a jazzy beat from Statik Selektah while the DJ Green Lantern produced “Undertaker vs. Goldberg” named after WWE’s 2nd annual Super Showdown’s main event gets on the classic Hall ‘N Nash vibe.

The track “Whoopy” talks about wanting to be with this woman over a laidback instrumental while the Animoss produced “Love U” is a better continuation of the previous cut. The track “Kool G” is an epic Griselda cut where Westside, Conway the Machine & Benny the Butcher use the same rhyme scheme throughout with this raw Alchemist/Daringer beat while the song “It’s Possible” with Boldy James & Jay Worthy sees the 3 talking about making it out of the hood over a beautiful soul sample.

The track “Lucha Bros.” with Benny the Butcher & Curren$y named after the current HOG World Tag Team Champions & AAA Mundial Parejas Campeons The Lucha Brothers who’re also former Tag Team Champions in PWG & TNA Wrestling sees the 3 getting rowdy over a vintage Alchemist beat boasting that current AAA Mega Campeon as well as former PWG World Champion, KO-D無差別級チャンピオン, DDTエクストリームチャンピオン, KO-Dタッグチャンピオン, KO-D6人タッグチャンピオン, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, IWGPジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPジュニアタッグチャンピオン, the inaugural IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン, NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオン & the only gaijin to win the G1クライマックス Kenny Omega whipped an extra brick while the song “Westside Gunn Day” goes at Westside’s competition over a symphonic boom bap beat from JR Swiftz. And before a spoken word outro from Keisha Plum, the final song “Kesington Pool” pays tribute to NY over a decent boom bap beat.

This is a lot better than FLYGOD is an Awesome God that came out earlier this year. Westside goes back to his roots more on this one in comparison to taking more risks on his last album. The beats are punchier & the pen game continues to flourish.

Score: 3.5/5

Mars – “Murder” review

Mars is a horrorcore veteran from Pittsburgh, California that made his debut in 1998 with S.I.D.S. (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). He would go on to drop 2 EPs in the mid-2000s, a mixtape in 2012 & his sophomore full-length entitled Glockcoma just a couple years ago. But with a new studio album Locked Up a Broad set to drop next month, Mars is warming the fans up by enlisting Bvne to produce his 3rd EP.

The opener “Small Sacrifices” is mostly a 2 minute hypnotic trap beat, but the first actual song on here “Never Get Rich” finds Mars venting about doing shit himself over a cavernous beat. The track “Undercover” gets murderous over a nocturnal beat while the song “Whiskey” talks about an ex over an acoustic trap beat. The track “Shit List” lyrically is self explanatory, but it turns out super fresh. Plus, I love the vocals in the background of the instrumental.

After the “Solicitation” skit, we go into the song “Cum Closer”. Where Mars & Koshir get flirtatious over a hyphy beat. After the “Collect Call” skit, the penultimate track “Christine” talks about a chick with the same name over a blissfully cloudy trap beat. The EP then finishes off with “In the End”, where Mars talks to his significant other over a country trap instrumental.

This is a nice little appetizer before the main course in November. Mars seems to step out of his comfort zone a lot more on this thing & I think it’s a really dope change of pace for him. Bvne’s production really does a great job in helping him with that too. It definitely has me looking forward to Locked Up a Broad even more.

Score: 3.5/5

Conway the Machine – “Look What I Became” review

This is the sophomore album from Buffalo, New York emcee Conway the Machine. Who rose to stardom with his brother Westside Gunn & their label Griselda Records just a few years ago. Last we heard from Conway was in July when he dropped the song “Bang” with Eminem, which is the lead single to his upcoming Shady Records debut God Don’t Make Mistakes. And to prep us for it, he’s releasing Look What I Became independently.

The album kicks off with “No Women No Kids”, where Conway gets mafioso over a haunting Alchemist beat. The next song “Hawks” attacks his biters over an intoxicating instrumental & after the “RIP Owen” interlude, the song “Tito’s Back” is just pretty much Conway & Benny the Butcher showing off their chemistry over a Daringer beat with some eerie keyboards.

The track “Black Spoons” gets back on the mafioso tip over a demented DJ Muggs beat while the song “Vino D” with Dave East & Jim Jones pays tribute to Conway’s friend with the same name over a boom bap beat from JR Swiftz. The track “Half of It” talks about his success over an organ-inflicted trap beat from Rick Hyde & then after the “Bells Palsy” interlude, the closer “You Made It” pays tribute to his mother over a relaxing beat from Statik Selektah.

This is a fantastic prelude. Couple tracks I could’ve done without, but the beats are mostly grimy & Conway’s lyricism just keeps progressing with each new project he drops. Definitely looking forward to his major label debut coming soon.

Score: 4/5

EARTHGANG – “Mirrorland” review

The EARTHGANG is a duo from Atlanta, Georgia consisting of Olu & WowGr8 that’s been at it since the very beginning of the decade. They dropped 3 mixtapes, an EP & 2 studio albums independently until J. Cole signed them to Dreamville Records in 2017. They promoted this new association with a decent trilogy of EPs & not even 2 months after appearing on Revenge of the Dreamers III, the time has come for their highly-anticipated major label debut.

The opener “LaLa Challenge” finds the duo flexing over an instrumental that starts off slow, but then breaks into a faster pace by the end. The next song “UP” brush off their doubters over an oracular instrumental while the track “Top Down” challenges their opponents over a bassy trap beat. The song “Bank” of course talks about the paper over an immense instrumental while the track “Proud of Up” with Young Thug sees the 3 paying tribute to women all across the world over a gleaming beat.

The song “This Side” talks about paranoia over a settle yet dark instrumental while the track “Swivel” that originally appeared on Revenge of the Dreamers III a couple months ago talks about overcoming their insecurities over a funky beat. The song “Avenue” gets confessional over a groovy instrumental while the track “Tequila” with T-Pain of all people is a dedication to the titular alcoholic beverage over a Latin instrumental.

The song “Blue Moon” gets sensual over an instrumental with an amazingly charming vibe to it while the track “Trippin’” with Kehlani is of course a lust anthem with a playful instrumental. The song “Stuck” finds the duo simping over a boom bap beat with a down-tuned guitar lead while the penultimate track “Fields” talks about never changing over a MOSTLY skeletal beat. The album then finishes with “Wings”, where the EARTHGANG talk about their hustle over a psychedelic beat.

Personally, this is the duo’s best work yet. The instrumentals are decent, but the hooks & the verses are mostly pretty great. If you wanna hear Johnny & Dot continue to hone their unique style, then give this a listen.

Score: 3.5/5

Little Brother – “May the Lord Watch” review

Little Brother is a reasonably beloved Durham, North Carolina group consisting of MCs Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh. They originally started out as a trio with producer 9th Wonder, their first 2 albums together The Listening & The Minstrel Show being hailed as some of the best albums of the previous decade. 9th then decided to focus on a solo career in 2007 & Little Brother dropped their 1st album as a duo Getback later that year. Then in 2010, they released their previous full-length album Leftback & officially disbanded shortly after. Almost a decade later, Phonte & Pooh have reformed LB to deliver a comeback album.

The album begins with “The Feel”, where Phonte & Pooh look back at their careers up until this point over a synth-funk instrumental from Khrysis with some luxurious piano chords. After the “A Word from the President” skit, the next song “Everything” finds the duo thinking about just that over a boom bap beat with some twinkling keys. The track “Right on Time” reflects on their rough past over a J Dilla influenced instrumental from Nottz while the song “Black Magic (Make It Better)” talks about hustling over a Focus… instrumental with some harmonious vocals.

After the “Life After Blackface” skit, the song “Goodmorning Sunshine” pays tribute to their significant others over a mellow boom bap instrumental. After the “Dyana Change My Life” skit, the song “What I Came For” talks about getting some over a cloudy boom bap beat. Then after the “Inside the Producer’s Studio” skit, the song “Sittin’ Alone” talks about being chilling at home by yourself over a blissful boom bap beat.

The song “Picture This” talks about gratefulness over a dulcet instrumental from Black Milk. After the “N****s Hollering” skit, the penultimate track “All in a Day” talks about their grind in hip hop referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a grand instrumental. The album then finishes with “Work Through Me”, where Phonte & Pooh going back & forth with each other over a funky boom bap beat.

Never thought this day would come, but I’m glad it did. Sure it’s only 37 & a half minutes long, but it’s like they never left. On top of Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh sounding very refreshed, Khrysis really comes through with the instrumental palate on here. My only complaint about the album is some of the skits but other than that, this is a fantastic comeback from one of the greatest groups hip hop has ever seen.

Score: 4/5

Snoop Dogg – “I Wanna Thank Me” review

Snoop Dogg is a Long Beach, California icon that really doesn’t need a proper introduction at this point. We all should know by now that he solidified himself as such with his heavy contributions to his mentor Dr. Dre’s seminal 1992 solo debut The Chronic along with his own equally groundbreaking debut album Doggystyle the following year. Then came the infamous murder charges Snoop faced in the mid-90s, of which he was later acquitted of. He would then come back with his sophomore album Tha Doggfather, but would leave Death Row Records not too long after it came out & would go on to release a trilogy of albums with No Limit Records. My personal favorite of them being Tha Last Meal. When his time with the tank came to an end, Snoop would form his own label Doggystyle Records & would go hopping to one major distributor after another to release 11 more albums. This includes an album under a joint venture with Priority Records/Capitol Records, a trilogy with Geffen Records (the first of which being in association with Star Trak Entertainment), 2 albums with just Priority themselves, a reggae album with his wife’s imprint Boss Lady Entertainment in conjunction with Mad Decent/VICE Music/RCA Records in 2013 & a synth-funk album with i am OTHER Entertainment/Columbia Records in 2015 produced by longtime collaborators The Neptunes. However since 2017, he’s mostly been rebuilding his Doggystyle label with the independent powerhouse EMPIRE Distribution backing him up with the exception of a gospel album being released by RCA Records last March. And with the recent addition to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the WWE Hall of Famer is celebrating with his 17th full-length album.

“What U Talkin’ Bout?” speaks on doing things his way over an electro-influenced instrumental whereas “So Misinformed” ponders the legacy of slavery & it’s corresponding diaspora over a laidback beat from DJ Battlecat. “Let Bygones Be Bygones” recalls his Death Row days with bittersweet pride over a g-funk beat leading into “1 Blood, 1 Cuzz” pays tribute to the late Nipsey Hu$$le over yet another Battlecat instrumental that recaptures Snoop’s g-funk roots.

As for “Countdown”, we have Uncle Snoop getting on his Crip shit over a prominent Ohio Players sample that Swizz Beatz laces just before “I C Your Bullshit” looks to rattle the trunks of every car blasting it talking about looking past all the cap coming his way. “Turn Me On” featuring Chris Brown is sappy lust tune with a bouncy Jazze Pha beat while “Blue Face Hunnids” talks about gangbanging over a nocturnal DJ Mustard instrumental

“New Booty” smoothly spits some game to all the new Crips while “Take Me Away” featuring Wiz Khalifa is of course a weed anthem as Russ provides a generic beat & an annoying hook. “Do It When I’m In It” with Ozuna & Slim Jxmmi sees the 3 getting raunchy over a Latin-influenced beat while“1st Place” gets victorious over a spacious DJ Green Lantern beat.

Moving on from there, “Focused” samples “Focus” by H.E.R. talking about feeling concentrated while “Rise to the Top” with Swizz Beatz & Trey Songz sees the 3 talking about maintaining successful over a mellow instrumental. “Wintertime in June” featuring the late Nate Dogg sees the 2 talking about past relationships over a colorful Fredwreck instrumental & after the “Doo Wop Thank Me” interlude, the song “Main Phone” with Rick Rock sees the 2 talking about money over a hyphy beat.

“Do You Like I Do” featuring Lil Duval is a weird attempt at reviving new jack swing while the song “I’ve Been Looking For You” is a soothing synth-funk cut. “Little Square UBitchU” with Anitta disses an unnamed punk over a Middle Eastern influenced beat while “Ventilation” with Azjah & $tupid Young is essentially the musical equivalent of Steve Buscemi dressing up as a teenager on 30 Rock. The title track at finishes the project reflects on his his accomplishments over yet another g-funk beat from Battlecat.

As a whole, this was a decent body of work focusing on Snoop’s legacy in the midst of him entering his 4th decade in show business & it lived up to my expectations of at least surpassing Bible of Love in terms of quality. I appreciate how he tried to be eclectic trying to make something for everybody with a retrospective theme on 1 hand & on the other, it didn’t need to be 75 minutes long & there are only slightly more hits than there are misses in an hour & 15 minutes.

Score: 3/5

MURS & 9th Wonder – “The Iliad‘s Dead & The Odyssey’s Over” review

MURS & 9th Wonder are an underground super-duo consisting of former Little Brother producer 9th Wonder & former Living Legends wordsmith MURS. The pair made their debut in 2004 with the Definitive Jux backed MURS 3:16: The 9th Edition & followed it up in 2006 with Murray’s Revenge. They continued to show how strong their chemistry was on Sweet Lord, Fornever & were supposed to disband after The Final Adventure in 2012. They eventually reformed in on New Year’s Eve 2015 with Brighter Daze & with the 15 year anniversary of their debut this past March, they’re celebrating with their 7th & supposedly final full-length album.

The album kicks off with “The Hulk”, where MURS reaffirms his rapping prowess over a boom bap beat with a funky bass-line. The next song “Cancun ‘08” with Pookie Blow & $ilk Money sees the 3 recalling a party they went to over a jazzy boom bap beat while the track “My Hero” tells the story of a woman named Alexis over a somberly jazzy beat.

The song “Ga$ Station Gucci Belt” talks about the street life over a venomous beat while the track “Unicorn Glitter” insightfully talks about pussy over a boom bap beat with an acoustic guitar. The song “High Noon” with Rapsody sees the 2 going back & forth nonchalantly about grinding over a mellow instrumental from 9th Wonder’s 15 year old daughter JDEAFBEATS while the song “Night Shift” talks about his live performances over some prominent piano chords.

The song “Give Me a Reason” tries to apologize to an ex over an atmospheric boom bap beat while the track “Super Cojo Bros.” with GQ sees the 2 talking about going at their enemies over an instrumental with some amazing retro video game samples. The song “Fuck Them” tries to console a woman who gets constantly cheated on over a soulful beat while the track “Tony Robbins Pocketbook” talks about searching for God over some strings. The album then finishes with “SIN”, where MURS vividly details relationship drama over a boom bap beat with a beautiful soul sample.

If this truly is the last time we’ll ever hear these 2 in a full-length capacity, then they went out on a high note. The features were mostly ok, but MURS’ storytelling remains on point with 9th Wonder providing a fantastic musical backdrop.

Score: 4/5

Rich Brian – “The Sailor” review

Rich Brian is a 19 year old rapper from Indonesia known for being a member of the 88rising collective. He made his debut last year with Amen & now, he’s back with his sophomore album.

It all starts with the title track, where Brian gets introspective over a grimy boom bap beat. The next song “Rapapapa” with RZA of all people sees the 2 getting romantic over a harmonious trap beat while the track “Yellow” vents about Brian’s personal issues over a church-esque instrumental. The song “Kids” talks about Brian’s background over a triumphant boom bap beat while the track “Drive Safe” tells the story of a long distance relationship over some somber guitar chords.

The song “Confetti” brags over a monstrous instrumental while the track “Vacant” sees Brian telling this girl why he’s better for her over an intoxicating instrumental. The song “No Worries” talks about how he’s socially awkward over a piano-inflicted trap beat while the track “100°” is a fun summer anthem. The song “Slow Down Turbo” talks about how life’s moving too fast for him over an instrumental that starts off with a Godly atmosphere, but then switches into something more spacey. The penultimate track “Curious” ponders his biggest questions over an acoustic instrumental & then the album ends with “Where Does the Time Go?”, where Brian & Joji talk about hoes over another acoustic instrumental.

Never been a big fan of this dude in the past, but this has me officially sold on him. The production is a lot more versatile & Brian’s personality shines a lot brighter through the songwriting.

Score: 3.5/5

Westside Gunn – “FLYGOD is an Awesome God” review

Westside Gunn is an MC from Buffalo, New York who’s been making noise with his label Griselda Records since 2016 with the release of his debut album FLYGOD. They eventually signed a distribution deal with Shady Records in 2017 but now that their major label debut is finally on the way as well as a little over a year after dropping his incredible sophomore album Supreme Blientele, Westside is preparing us for it with his 3rd full-length album & the sequel to the one that got him where he is today.

The album starts off with “Jul 27th”, which is mostly a spoken word piece from Raekwon over some synthesizers. The next song “Sensational Sherri” with Benny the Butcher sees the 2 about living what he raps homaging former WWE Women’s Champion & WWE Hall of Famer Sherri Martel over a sinister beat from none other than The Alchemist while the track “Bautista” named after the 6-time WWE world champion & 4-time WWE Tag Team Champion Dave Bautista gets confrontational over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat. The song “Lunchin’” gets mafioso over a luscious beat & while the song “Ferragamo Funeral” gets murderous over a soulful beat, it’s way too short. The song “1,000 Shot Mac” with Conway the Machine, Hologram & Meyhem Lauren sees the 2 talking about hustling over a classy sample & while I do like the chilled out beat on “Birkin”, Westside’s delivery does nothing for me.

The song “Pete Sake” has little to no Westside Gunn appearance at all, but Conway & Benny make it work as they deliver a raw prelude to their upcoming collab album referencing WWE Hall of Famer & inaugural ECW World Heavyweight Champion Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. The track “Amherst Station 3” is a somber conclusion to the titular trilogy while the Evidence-produced “Dance Floor Love” is a soulful love tune that works better than I had expected. The penultimate track “Gunnlib” while brief makes me hope that Westside & Madlib do a whole album together in the future because their chemistry on here is flawless & then the album finishes off with “Lakers vs. Rockets”, where the FLYGOD brags over a gritty rap rock beat. However, the Sauce Walka feature is kinda vapid.

While I personally prefer the original FLYGOD, this sequel is definitely worth checking out. A few joints could’ve been stretched out a bit longer & a couple features I could’ve done without, but Westside’s vivid street bars remain & grimy production most definitely remain intact throughout it’s 32 minute runtime.

Score: 3.5/5