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

Jim Jones – “El Capo” review

Jim Jones is a legendary rapper from the Bronx who came up as a member of The Diplomats at the beginning of the decade. He released a few albums throughout the 2000s, but he went off the radar after 2011’s Capo. It wasn’t until last year’s Wasted Talent that he would make his comeback & now a year later, he’s delivering his 7th full-length album with The Heatmakerz producing it in it’s entirety.

The album kicks off with “Cristal Ocassions”, where he talks about his rise from nothing to fame over a soulful boom bap beat. The next track “Love of the Hustle” minimalistically recalls his drug dealing deals whereas “Make No Issues of It” brushes off ignorance over some harmonious background vocals. The track “NYC” with Fat Joe pays tribute to their hometown referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a joyous beat while the song “Good Die Young” is a tribute to all of the homies he lost over a beautiful soul sample.

The track “State of the Union” with Rick Ross sees the 2 getting conscious over a mellow beat while the song “Pity in the Summer” with Cam’ron & Fred the Godson is a decent club banger. The track “My Era” with Maino reflects on their pasts over some prominent drums with a soul sample in the background while the song “Nothing Lasts” with Fabolous vents on some life issues over an infectious beat.

The track “Cocaine Dreamin'” with Dave East talks about how their lives a like a movie over a boom bap beat with a sped-up vocal sample. The track “Mama I Made It” with Cam is of course a triumphant success anthem with a nice church choir while the song “To Whom It May Concern” is a fantastic Dipset/Griselda posse cut.

The track “Sports Cars” is all about just that with a decent beat & a perfect Curren$y verse & while “Song Boxing” is short, it’s very cutthroat. The penultimate track “Bread Right” boasts about his money over a dreamy beat & then the album finishes with “Don’t Know What They Took Him For”, where Jim gets with Jadakiss & Philthy Rich to talk about death over a soulful beat.

Overall, this is easily Jim’s best work yet & really the album that I’ve always wanted to hear from him. There are way too many features, but a good chunk of them do their thing. And on top of that, Jim steps his pen-game up continuing the elevation shown on Wasted Talent & The Heatmakerz as Dipset’s in-house production team show why they’re one of the most underrated producers ever.

Score: 4.5/5

XXXTENTACION – “Skins” review

XXXTENTACION was a 20 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Plantation, Florida who rose to prominence last year with a handful of singles. He landed a spot in the 2017 XXL Freshman Class & put out his debut album 17 just a few months after. Then he dropped his sophomore album ? at the beginning of this year, which was slightly better & equally rushed as 17 was. But unfortunately, he was murdered over the summer & now his estate is issuing his 1st posthumous album.

After the fake deep intro, we go into the first song with “guardian angel”. Here, X reflects on Jocelyn Flores & the way he reverses the instrumental from the 17 song that was dedicated to her & slaps it on the cut was lazy. The track “train food” reflects on his rough past over some sinister acoustic guitar strings while the song “whoa (mind in awe)” has a pretty spacious instrumental, but X’s moaning is annoying as fuck. The track “BAD!” truly lives up to it’s title as it’s a corny & moody relationship ballad while the song “STARING AT THE SKY” sees X badly singing about running from pain over an acoustic guitar. The track “1 Minute” feels more like a Kanye West joint since he takes up a bulk of it & after the structureless “difference” interlude, we go into the penultimate track “I don’t let go” where X gets raunchy over a laidback instrumental. The album then closes with “what are you so afraid of?”, which is an unfinished acoustic cut.

And that’s the thing, this thing is such a mess from front to back. I’m not trying to disrespect the dead, but the “album” sounds like it was cobbled together just to make money & that’s a huge reason why posthumous albums in general are hit or miss with me

Score: 1/5

The Diplomats – “Diplomatic Ties” review

The Diplomats are a legendary hip hop crew from Harlem, New York consisting of Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana & Freekey Zekey. They landed a deal with Roc-A-Fella Records & Def Jam Recordings in 2001, dropping their classic double disc debut Diplomatic Immunity in 2003. Eventually, they went to E1 Music & released a mediocre sequel the following year. Since then, they’ve had a lot of ups & downs but they’re finally dropping their very 1st EP.

After talking street shit & dissing Kanye West over an organ & a vocal sample on the intro, we go into the next song “Live Forever”. Here, the crew talk about their return over a triumphant instrumental from none other than the Heatmakerz. However, I much prefer the Kanye produced song with the same name off of Cam’s classic 4th album Purple Haze. The track “On God” talks about loyalty over a dark trap instrumental from Murda Beatz while the song “Sauce Boyz” is a club banger over a soulful beat from the Heatmakeraz. The track “Dipset / Lox” is a lyrical onslaught by both parties over a gritty instrumental from Cool & Dre while the song “Uptown” is another club banger except with a somewhat jazzier beat.

The track “No Sleep” is a sex tune over a trap beat with some horns & a mediocre Tory Lanez hook while the group’s last song on the entire EP “By Any Means” gets confrontational over a chaotic trap beat. The closer performed by none other than Un Casa has some devilish choir vocals with some snares as well, but the performance from Un Casa himself just doesn’t do anything for me.

For the 14 year wait, this was well worth it. Despite running at only 33 minutes in length, the production is mostly fun & all 4 members sound happy to be back together. If they ever drop anything bigger in the future, then I’m all for it.

Score: 3.5/5

Action Bronson – “White Bronco” review

Action Bronson is a 34 year old MC who blew up with release of his debut album Dr. Lecter in 2011. He then landed a joint venture with VICE Music & Atlantic Records while following up his debut with a couple EPs & mixtapes. The most notable being Blue Chips duology, Saab Stories & my personal favorite: Rare Chandeliers. He then put out his major label debut Mr. Wonderful in 2015 & it has some of his best songs on there, but the end result would be a more glitzy mixed bag. He returned last summer with Blue Chips 7000 & now that he’s completely independent, he has decided to celebrate with his 5th full-length album.

The album kicks off with “Dr. Kimble”, where he gets boastful over a rap rock instrumental from Harry Fraud. The “Irishman Freestyle” is an average theme for the upcoming Martin Scorsese film The Irishman that’s due next year & the song “Mt. Etna” talks about depression over a relaxing Daringer instrumental. The track “Live from the Moon” is filled with interstellar references over a jazzy Knxwledge beat while the titular song feels like a return to Bronson’s old school style from the braggadocious bars to the smooth boom bap beat from Daringer.

The track “Brutal” with Meyhem Lauren sees the 2 spitting battle bars over a guitar & an organ while the song “Prince Charming” is a soulful love tune. The track “Telemundo” sees Bronson getting confrontational over a wailing guitar while the song “Picasso’s Ear” talks about drug use over a soothing Knxwledge instrumental. The penultimate track “Ring Ring” gets back on the boastful tip over a Harry Fraud instrumental with some funky bass & then the album finishes off with “Swerve on ‘Em”, where Bronson links up with A$AP Rocky to talk shit to their competition over a dreamy instrumental with some punchy drums.

Overall, this was pretty solid. The production could’ve been a little bit better at some points & a couple of the features were pretty much pointless, but I gotta commend Bronson for sounding a lot more focused & comfortable than he ever did on his last 2 albums with Atlantic.

Score: 3.5/5

Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs – “FETTI” review

Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs are 2 MCs in their late 30s with similar upbringings in their careers. Spitta was signed to No Limit Records & Young Money Entertainment/Cash Money Records throughout the 2000s while Freddie was signed to Interscope & CTE World/Def Jam in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Neither of them put out a full-length album on any of those labels, as it wouldn’t be until they found their success as independent artists. The 2 have been teasing a collab EP all year & for Halloween, they’ve decided to put it out with the legendary Alchemist producing it in it’s entirety.

The opener “Location Remote” sees the 2 getting boastful over a sinister beat & the next track “The Blow” of course talks about drug dealing over some bass playing, but the hook is pretty awkward. The song “New Thangs” is a return to the boastful bars over some luscious keyboards & even though the track “Saturday Night Special” has spacey instrumental, Spitta & Gangsta Gibbs are talking about 2 separate things. Curren$y is going at the people copying his style while Freddie talking about putting his mob over everything & later a sexual encounter.

The song “Now & Later Gators” is a Freddie solo cut that humorously indulges into old school R&B & the track “No Window Tints” is a Curren$y solo cut vividly going into the mind of a drug dealer over a sinister instrumental. The song “Willie Lloyd” is another Freddie solo cut, this time delivering more serious & gritty street bars over a suiting instrumental while the penultimate track “Tapatio” sees him reuniting with Spitta to talk about warrants being put out on them over a relaxing & almost tropical instrumental. The EP then finishes with “Bundy & Sincere”, where the 2 make a heartfelt tribute to Mac Miller over a smooth instrumental.

After being teased all year, this was well worth it. The Alchemist’s production is a little bit jazzier & he compliments the yin & yang chemistry between Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs near perfectly. If you wanna hear 2 independent vets form like Voltron, then give this a listen. I should also mention that both parties have fallen out a short while after this EP came out, which kills any & all hope people have for a sequel. Shame, but is what it is I suppose.

Score: 4/5

Bun B – “Return of the Trill” review

Bun B is a 45 year old MC from Port Arthur, Texas who came up as 1/2 of the iconic duo UGK. He released his solo debut Trill in 2005 under Rap-A-Lot Records & began focusing towards his solo career in late 2007 when his UGK cohort Pimp C passed away. He went on to release 3 more LPs, including II Trill well as Trill O.G. & of course the last one being Trill O.G.: The Epilogue in 2013. However, Bun is now making his official comeback with EMPIRE Distribution for his 5th full-length album.

The album begins with “Trill Over Everything”, where he & Killa Kyleon brag about their longevity over a trap beat with some interesting organ passages. The next song “Recognize” with T.I. sees the 2 continuing the message of the opener over an abrasive beat while the track “Knowhatimsayin’?” with Slim Thug & Lil’ Keke is an ode to Houston over a gritty beat. The song “Outta Season” with Big K.R.I.T. is about practicing what you’re preaching over a laidback instrumental while the track “Traphandz” with Yo Gotti & 2 Chainz is an ode to trappin’ over an instrumental with a blaring horn & rattling hi-hats.

“Blood on the Dash” vividly tells a story about being pulled over by a cop over a prominent organ while the track “Myself” with Run the Jewels is all about righting your wrongs over a futuristic instrumental. “Rudeboi” with Lil Wayne is of course reggae-tinged that comes off as VERY awkward when you have both Bun & Weezy rapping in a fake patois. The track “Hoes from da Hood” is self-explanatory with a bass-heavy instrumental while the song “Slow It Down” is a weed anthem with a jazzy Big K.R.I.T. instrumental.

The track “Never Going Back” with Giggs is about leaving their rough pasts behind & being blessed today over some prominent drums the song “U’s a Bitch” talks about snitches over a jazzy beat. The penultimate track “Grow Up” with 8Ball & MJG is about maturing over an instrumental with rubbery bass & somber piano chords. The album then finishes with “Gone Away”, which is a tribute to Pimp C over a settle instrumental with a prominently twangy guitar. However, I wish Bun had another verse.

I was wondering if Bun B would ever drop an album again & from front to back, this was a better return than I could’ve ever imagined. It’s mostly well produced, the founder of II Trill Enterprises himself sounds impeccably focused & his pen game is just as strong as it’s ever been. If you wanna hear a dirty south legend sounding like he never left, give this a listen.

Score: 4/5

Freddie Gibbs – “Freddie” review

After making a strong comeback with his last full-length album album 2017’s You Only Live 2wice, Indiana MC Freddie Gibbs is now returning with his 10th mixtape.

The opener “Weight” of course talks about drugs over a decent trap beat while the next song “Automatic” gets confrontational over a murky beat. The song “Death Row” with 03 Greedo talks about criminal activity over some dinky keys & heavy bass while “Triple Threat” talks about how hot this chick is over a smooth trap beat. The song “2 Legit” gets braggadocious over an amazing sample of Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” & after the FML interlude, we go into the track “Set Set”. Here, Gangsta Gibbs gets lavish over some rattling hi-hats & an atmospheric backdrop. The track “Toe Tag” gets murderous over an eerie beat & the song “F.B.C. (Fendi Buckle Coat)” charismatically talks about how fly he is over a fun beat. Then we get the closer “Diamonds 2”, which serves as a heartwarming sequel to the song “Diamonds” off of his Pronto EP from 2015.

While I still prefer Freddie’s last 2 albums more, this is still solid. Despite Freddie’s gritty lyricism staying in tact & while I also adore the nod to the classic Teddy Pendergrass album Teddy in the artwork, some of the production could’ve been better & the 03 Greedo verse didn’t really do much for me admittedly. Regardless, I think this is still is an enjoyable treat to hold us off until MadGibbs drops Bandana

Score: 3.5/5

Tyga – “Kyoto” review

After dropping a sequel to his #BitchImTheShit mixtape last summer, Compton, California rapper Tyga is now going contemporary R&B on his 6th full-length album right here. The opener “Temperature” sings presumably about his ex-girlfriend Kylie Jenner over a tropical beat & the auto-tune on Tyga’s voice makes it even worse. The next song “Leather in the Rain” with Kyndall is a shitty sex duet with a generic club beat & the track “Come & Ball Wit Me” is basically Tyga whining about Kylie over a spacey trap beat. The song “Boss Up” sings about how he loves that his current chick is calling the shots over a moody beat & the track “U Cry” is another Kylie breakup pity party over a somber beat.

The song “King of the Jungle” sees T-Raw admitting that he was unfaithful to Kylie over an atmospheric instrumental while “Hard2Look” is an honest to God diss track towards her new boyfriend Travis Scott that comes off REALLY corny. The song “I Need a Girl 3” is an unnecessary follow-up to the 2 songs from Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy that came out in 2002 while the track “Train 4 This” has some corny boxing & Mike Tyson references over a trap beat with a decent “Dilemma” sample buried in the mix. The song “Hot Soup” sings about how his chick will make him feel better over a bland beat while the track “Sip a Lil” is of course about drinking & rambling about missing Kylie over a mediocre trap beat. Unfortunately, the Gucci Mane verse on here couldn’t save it either. The song “Faithful” with Tory Lanez sees the 2 telling their ladies to have faith in them over another tropical beat & the penultimate track “Ja Rule & Ashanti” is filled with corny references to both artists over a nondescript beat. The torture finally ends with Holdin’ On’, where he gets sexual with his current woman over a generic beat.

Now I know a lot of people including myself went at the artwork when Tyga originally posted it on Instagram last month but musically, this is truly the worst thing he’s ever done. I can commended him for trying to step out of his comfort zone, but there is not a single song worth sitting through from beginning to end. His singing is absolutely God awful, the auto-tune he throws on top of it doesn’t mask it either, the lyrics are trite & the production is dime a dozen

Score: 0/5

XXXTENTACION – “A GHETTO CHRISTMAS CAROL!” review

With his trial coming up this Friday, Floridian 2017 XXL Freshman XXXTENTACION is giving his fans his 7th EP. The opener is the title track, where X getting braggadocious over an eerie trap beat from Ronny J. However, he doesn’t sound exciting & the “Day ‘n’ Nite” reference during the hook is corny. The next song “Hate Will Never Win” gets conscious over the instrumental of “Life” by the Funky Cowboys, but he’s just mumbling atonally. Also the Donald Trump samples X incorporates at the beginning & the end were nice, but they didn’t need to be there during the verse as well. The “Up Like an Insomiac” freestyle actually feels like a finished track, but the beat is bland & his delivery is annoying as Hell. The 1-minute “Red Light!” has a mediocre beat & X’s angrily delivered lyrics are substance-less. The closer “Indecision” might be 2 minutes, but it’s super underwritten. Honestly, this is almost as bad as X’s 17. The production is subpar & almost every track still sounds as unfinished as before

Score: 1/5