Truly Young – “Dear Joshua” review

Los Angeles, California bedroom pop singer/songwriter Truly Young releasing her debut extended play after turning 25 this month. Known for being the daughter of Dr. Dre, she would eventually get herself involved in music by making a few guest appearances on Kevin Abstract’s 6th album blush under X8 Music a couple years ago & was actually more impressed with the performances she had on there than I initially thought. That said: She’s making a bigger artistic splash with Dear Joshua beyond her debut single “Room 64”.

The self-produced title track begins singing about this guy who’s easily influenced by doubt & her not being his type of woman over an indie pop instrumental whereas “fear the reaper” goes for a summery vibe asking who’d she be if she didn’t give into danger. “forever” ends the 1st half realizing Joshua will miss her while “shadows” describes escaping her feelings. “boy” dabbles with dance-pop airing him out for not being the man she thought he was & “you 2 deserve each other” colorfully ends singing about him recognizing her weaknesses.

Putting aside the fact her father’s the Quincy Jones of hip hop, Truly Young spends the 16 minutes of her inaugural EP Dear Joshua sending an audio letter to her now ex-boyfriend pretty much airing out her grievances towards him. It made me happy learning she produced the entire thing rather than having other producers on board much like her “Room 64” aside from “shadows”, establishing herself in the indie pop world channeling all that anger she had stemming from that failed relationship exploring dance-pop & contemporary R&B for what I consider the real beginning of her solo career.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jorjiana – “5 Elements” review

Jorjiana is a 21 year old rapper from Michigan City, Indiana who came up in 2024 off her breakout single “ILBB2”. She would later sign to Atlantic Records the following spring & would release her debut mixtape Project 219 roughly 7 months later to moderate reception mostly due to the underwhelming selection of beats rather than the performances from her or the guests. Recently joining Buvision Entertainment whilst retaining her Atlantic contract, she’s continuing to prelude her full-length studio debut with an extended play.

“Talk” opens up with a bassy instrumental that includes a switch-up midway through letting her detractors know she could care less of their feelings whereas “Indiana 2for2” talks about entering her old money era even if the beat’s generally uninteresting. “I’m the One” embraces a rage-inducing vibe making her guy nervous because she loves money more than him & after “808-Wish” moodily explores the downsides of relationships, “Rich Finally” cloudily ends 5 Elements talking about achieving wealth.

Neither of the previously mentioned tracks that were both released as singles building up anticipation for 5 Elements blew me away, but I still gave Jorjiana the benefit of the doubt thinking the other 3 songs would make up for it & I unfortunately liked this EP less than I did her debut mixtape last Black Friday. She’s a capable performer but as I had mentioned, Project 219 lacked in the production department & a great deal of her Buvision debut’s beats remain dull.

Score: 2.5/5

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Action Figure 973 – “Souled Out” review

Belleville, New Jersey emcee/producer Action Figure 973 celebrating his born day with his 14th expedited play. For a while at this point, his first couple mixtapes followed by his last 13 EPs & the full-length debut DOOM Was Right over a year ago giving flowers to one of my all-time personal favorite albums Madvillainy have each established himself as a promisingly skilled luchador who so happens to rap. The Most Interesting Man in the World got with Machacha for his sophomore effort last October, coming off What Would Harley Race Do? as well as 24 Hours in Switzerland & the baseball-themed Polo Grounds produced by DiMaggio to announce Souled Out hours prior to it’s release.

“8 Hour Paris Flight” after the titular intro kicks things off with a drumlessly soulful opener talking about forever plotting outside of the country whereas “London Traffic” soulfully discusses the vitality in what he does. “William Regal” shows some love to WWE’s current VP of Global Talent Development, former 4-time WCW World Television Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion of the same name.

We have “Eyeful” kicking off the 2nd half incorporating more soul sampling referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair leading into “Ashley Massaro” remembering the late WWE diva who was not only a sexual abuse victim of Vince McMahon’s, but also took her own life.

“No Fly Tipping” immediately succeeding the “Paris Baguette” skit winds down the last few moments of the EP bringing a rap rock vibe to the table so Act-Lo can assure everything he does going forward becoming symbolic for their own justifications & the outro “Flight Home” spends the last 127 seconds of Souled Out hooking up a crooning soul sample talking about none of these rappers being safe for the remaining 4 months of 2026.

Polo Grounds to me still remains a breath of fresh air for people who felt like Action Figure 973’s discography was getting stale & Souled Out continues that trajectory recapping trips he took to London, England, United Kingdom & Paris, France over mostly soulful production. I can’t forget to further mention the claims of symbolism behind his future output & no one being safe for the rest of the year, hinting he has more music coming down the pipe soon that I’m interested in hearing.

Score: 3.5/5

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God’s Hate – “Won’t Be Disgraced” review

God’s Hate is a metalcore band from Los Angeles, California consisting of bassist Alec Faber, guitarist Taylor Young, guitarist Martin Stewart, bassist Anthonie Gonzalez, drummer Colin Young & current 2-time AEW World Trios Champion Brody King performing lead vocals. Introducing themselves in 2014 off their debut extended play Divine Injustice followed by Under the Knife & their full-length debut Mass Murder, they eventually would go on hiatus following their eponymous sophomore effort in 2021. I was however interested in their 3rd extended play after former 3-time AEW World Champion, AEW International Champion, CMLL Mundial de Peso Semicompleto Campeon, CZW World Heavyweight Champion, アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, MLW World Middleweight Champion, MLW World Tag Team Champion & ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF tweeted about it.

The title track begins incorporating elements of groove metal into their signature metallic hardcore sound asking where everyone’s rage went & those who don’t have shit still having them in the end while “I’m the Cure“ treads the beatdown hardcore waters explaining the straight edge get to decide the way they die. Won’t Be Disgraced finishes with a cover of “Warriors Will Reign” by Harm’s Way & although I’m personally not the biggest fan of covers, I give them all the respect in the world for doing it out of remembrance of Bo Lueders in light of his passing several months ago.

For only 2 newly written songs & a cover: God’s Hate have made a fierce comeback driven by grief as well as the state of the greater hardcore community & the world at large. The former AEW World Tag Team Champion, NWA World Tag Team Champion, PWG World Tag Team Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion & ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion recaptures the beatdown metalcore style of their self-titled album & sprinkles elements of groove metal along the way kin to Mass Murder encouraging those listening to make a change using their hatred.

Score: 3.5/5

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Montez Ford – “AFTERTHETIDES” review

Chicago, Illinois professional wrestler & rapper Montez Ford dipping his toes in music again with a brand new extended play. Someone who’s become a 6-time WWE tag team champion in addition to marrying 3-time WWE women’s world champion & 2-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair, dropping his full-length debut God is Good & the sophomore effort Happy Birthday Tez! to poor reception despite guest appearances from former TNA Digital Media Champion A.J. Francis & even Consequence surprisingly. Coming off Jacy Jayne & the other 2 members of Fatal Influence respectively becoming WWE Women’s United States Champion & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions this past weekend however, AFTERTHETIDES has arrived.

After the “Any Second.” intro, “Madvillian.” made for a soulful opener to drop average hardcore bars dismantling cosplayers of the game whereas “Tides.” continues some interesting sampling techniques flipping soul music once again so he can discuss themes of fatherhood. “Stairway to Heaven.” continues from there with an orchestral boom bap beat talking about being black excellence leading into “Fooling Around.” reaches the midway point taking a more boastful approach over a cloudy sample.

“Late Nights.” kicks off the 2nd half of AFTERTHETIDES on an underwhelming note slowing down Tez’ vocals over a woodwind instrumental just before “Silk Road.” hooks up some luxurious piano chords talking about trying to show his soulmate a different live from sitting in a cubicle to being married. “Iced Out.” had a questionable bar regarding him spending money made from the dope game when I’m not sure if there’s any truth in that regardless of the diss towards 7-time WWE world champion Roman Reigns until “Sandcastles” jazzily ends the EP talking about being mimicked because of his likability.

AFTERTHETIDES is far from being one of the groundbreaking EPs I’ve heard all year, but I’ll still take it over Pat McAfee’s new bro-country album The Diary of a Polarizing Figure. Regardless of his average songwriting, Montez Ford clearly put more care in this than Pat did because the production choices are actually pretty interesting varying between chipmunk soul or boom bap & jazz rap reminiscent to Griselda following the inaugural 4th Rope Heavyweight Champion Zilla Fatu’s debut in the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s primary developmental brand NXT.

Score: 2/5

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Sk8star – “The Beautiful Rebellion” review

This is the latest extended play & the 8th overall from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Sk8star. Emerging all the way back in 2021 off Superstar Status, he would go on to follow it up with a total of 7 more EPs & a couple of mixtapes preceding him signing to Island Records for his full-length studio debut Designer Junkie this past spring marking a full circle moment when reflecting upon his earlier output. As he prepares for the upcoming sophomore effort After the Gala though, The Beautiful Rebellion has only just begun.

“Lo Mein” begins with a decent opener likening his girl to a vampire whereas “Bloodhound” produced by Pi’erre Bourne talks about these other muhfuckas being out of bounds compared to him. “Doom” featuring Pz’ finds the pair trading verses over an ahead of the curve trap instrumental from Nosaint of Vanguard Music Group leading into “Churchs’” bringing Richie Souf back behind the boards to resurrect the chemistry they displayed throughout Designer Junkie, talking about being the hood type.

Kicking off the 2nd half of the EP, we have Pi’erre & Sk8 cooking up 1 last banger together with the pluggy “Callin’” confronting someone who stayed the same unlike him evolving just before “Sk8rokk” introduces us to the titular MC/producer duo dissin’ those who run with what’s popular. “Loose Tooth” reunites with Richie Souf talking about receiving oral while the closing track “Siamese” featuring diamond* spends The Beautiful Rebellion’s final minutes discussing exactly how slimey each of them are individually.

Couple longtime fans of Sk8star I know have since hailed Designer Junkie to be the Take Care of his discography & regardless of my uncertainty towards that claim, I can say it was a satisfying culmination of everything he was doing throughout it’s preceding EPs & mixtapes. The Beautiful Rebellion nevertheless preludes After the Gala in the form of a tasteful transitional phase in Sk8’s career enlisting a couple ØWay members to remind the world on top of 16 minutes worth of tight trap, rage, plugg & cloud rap production that they really do this.

Score: 3.5/5

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Cletus Strap – “rappers suck.” review

This is the 2nd extended play & Tan Cressida Records debut from Inglewood, California emcee/producer Cletus Strap. Dropping his debut St. Cletus in 2022, he would go on to follow it up with the Hidden Agenda EP along with the sophomore effort serving as the sequel & What Might Happen. Tan Cressida recently announced there would be a new & improved version of the label, releasing rappers suck. to commemorate this forthcoming era of widely showcasing up-&-coming talent.

“Paddleball” begins with a 90 second lowend intro produced by Earl Sweatshirt dismissing any back-&-forth shit coming his way whereas “chilli” takes a cloudy stoner rap approach psychedelically talking about smoking weed. “on tha run” works in some prominent synthesizers prior to “risk it” featuring VIP Skylark wrapping up the 1st half with the weakest guest appearance of the 2 if I had to pick, although the cloudy drill vibe in general to be sweet.

We have Cletus on “fuck no” talking about not bringing any money around him because it’s high stakes just before “nonchalant” featuring Earl Sweatshirt finds the pair talking about moving calmly combining cloud rap with Jersey club rap & sexy drill. “goose chase” hooks up a soul sample to advise against fuckin’ around in risky situations & the closer “way more fun” concludes rappers suck. talking about still taking charge regardless of his tab remaining open.

Black Noi$e dropped his only album Oblivion through Tan Cressida Records back in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic so that technically makes Cletus Strap the 2nd artist other than Earl to drop new music under the imprint, but rappers suck. widely introduces us to him by giving us 20 minutes of the finest material he’s made. The trap, cloud rap, drill, plugg, lowend, Jersey club rap, sexy drill & pluggnb production separates Cletus from Earl’s experimentally abstract style well although the lethargic delivery might not be for everyone.

Score: 3.5/5

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1300SAINT – “NewDrug2.” review

This is the 5th extended play from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist 1300SAINT. Known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience, the heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his full-length debut Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual & led to Young Thug signing him to YSL Records not too long after he came home Halloween 2024. All Hail marked his debut for the label, preluding Savior with Saint Season as well as 4 & NewDrug. respectively. However, a sequel to the latter has arrived without any prior announcement

“Encore.” hops over a rage beat talking about never missing shots again & after “Nightgown.” chaotically observing the surreality of his new lifestyle, “Painkillers”. reached the halfway point looking to get so geeked that he can’t feel his face. “Tattoos.” kicks off the 2nd act telling a woman to get tatted if she truly loves him leading into “NotASong.” talking about God giving us what we need rather than what we want. “808s.” lastly wraps up the EP in the form of a 2-parter encouraging someone not to lose their ways.

It was originally announced on Twitter back in April that he would be dropping Saint Season 2 later this year & now 1300SAINT has confirmed the idea was scrapped, he’s giving us a taste of what we can expect out of his upcoming 3rd album Pretty Boy later this year with a solid continuation of the NewDrug. saga. Might not have any criticisms regarding his performances, but the rage-inducing production doesn’t impress me the same way his sophomore effort did last fall.

Score: 3/5

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UFO Fev – “4 the High” review

New extended play & the 13th overall from Harlem, New York emcee UFO Fev. Coming up a little over a decade ago off his full-length debut Around My Way, it wasn’t until 2020 when he saw his biggest year yet by dropping not 1 but 3 well received projects: the Statik Selektah-produced sophomore effort Fresh Air along with the Termanology-produced debut EP From El Barrio, With Love & the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd album The Ghost of Albizu. This was all followed up with Magnum Opus along with the Vanderslice-produced Enigma of Dalí & 4 EPs: The Most High, Prayer, Weed & Music, E Pluribus Unum, Sunsets in the Ghetto & of course the Finn-produced Blood on the Bills. I even enjoyed the Fredro Starr produced Strapped & Pyramid Schemes, coming off The Ghost of Albizu 2: Albizu’s Revenge last summer to have Machacha produce 4 the High.

“Left Lane” eerily begins talking about always bouncing back since that’s the way he balls whereas “Dealin’” hops over a boom bap instrumental to get on his gangsta shit, observing the crack game pretty much being dead. “Levels Up” ruggedly talks about someone who he perceived to be a gangsta winding up snitchin’ & a price goin’ on everything except their souls while “Middle Gates” orchestrally wraps up the 1st half discusses his daughters knowing a man when they see one.

Eto appears for “Us Never Them” kicking off the 2nd act of 4 the High talking about preparing for war over a piano-driven boom bap beat talking just before “The Palladium” featuring Red Inf explains one has to engage in conflict if they’re searching for peace, embracing a rap rock sound. “Saturday Mornings” issues a warning of potentially smoking anyone who runs up on him at a mall & the drumless closing track “God’s Sincere” talks about the Lord carrying him across the sand.

UFO Fev warms up for his upcoming 14th album Creatine produced by Eto set to arrive within the next few months toning down the number of guests A Night on the Moon has for an EP that’ll make up for most who were left underwhelmed by Hustle, Weed & Music this past fall including myself. Machacha’s production matches the consistency of Lost in Transit & Villano de Medianoche, giving Fev less than a half hour to take up most of the verses delivering that unmistakable New York grit.

Score: 4/5

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Lil Uzi Vert – “Maverick (Almost Forever)” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & singer Lil Uzi Vert celebrating their birthday with their 4th extended play. Becoming a household name in the trap scene with their 2015 mixtape LUV is Rage & then Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World the following year, Uzi has been entangled with a nasty legal battle with Generation Now Entertainment/Atlantic Records from their debut LUV is Rage 2 until the sophomore effort Eternal Atake came out in March of 2020 to moderate reception & followed it up a week later with the far superior Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World 2 that spawned the deluxe version trend where artists would drop a “deluxe version” of their newest project that’s basically an entirely new album. Red & White was a solid prelude to The Pink Tape which received mixed feedback, fulfilling their Generation Now/Atlantic deal with a panned sequel to Eternal Atake & dropping Maverick (Almost Forever) through Cor(e) in tandem with Roc Nation Records only 24 hours after Jason Hotch ended Mustafa Ali’s reign as TNA International Champion.

The “Maverick” intro produced by Ronny J & Supah Mario opens up with my favorite track right out the gate from the cloudy yet energetic vibe instrumentally talking about life being as crazy as it is whereas “Go!” boasts of them sellin’ out shows right when they walk outside. “Poured” begins the 2nd quarter with an ode to sipping lean just before “.223” reaches the halfway point hopping over a cinematic Cade beat getting on some gangsta shit.

10-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, United Football League (UFL) co-owner, TKO Group Holdings board of directors member, co-founder of $7 Productions & the final boss of professional wrestling himself The Rock gets referenced during “Yoko” to kick off the 2nd half of Maverick (Almost Forever) just before “Gas. Brake.” gives off a rebellious atmosphere comparing themself to a star out in the sky.

“Say It Was” hits us with what could possibly be the hardest instrumental here talking about everyone from their block knowing exactly how crazy Uzi truly is in real life & the closing track “London” gives their props to the capital of England & the United Kingdom only a month away from Will Ospreay ending Kenny Omega’s 2nd reign as AEW World Champion in his home turf at Wembley Stadium for All In V employing a cockney accent for the occasion.

In preparation of Chad Gable ending Penta’s reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion at SummerSlam XXXIX on Sunday evening, Lil Uzi Vert preludes the next LP giving ZeeGoinXrazy the honor of architecting their new pop rap, trap, rage, cloud rap & jerk sound ever since finally going independent & their performances are a lot more enjoyable than being fucked up off nitrous. If the next album’s gonna be anything like this EP, we’re gonna be in for a bounce back.

Score: 3.5/5

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