Lil Gotit is a 27 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia notable for being the younger brother of the late Lil Keed. He also has 6 full-length studio LPs along with a couple mixtapes & an extended play of solo material excluding that recent Fraternal collaborative effort they dropped last Halloween, preluding his 7th album E.O.N. (Everything Or Nothing) under his newly formed label EON$TAR Records by dropping off his 2nd EP warming us up for this next chapter of his career.
“Chanel Oh My!” opens up with this country trap intro expressing his love for the French luxury fashion house whereas “Denim Shorts” goes for a cloudy vibe instrumentally talking about this hoe saying she’s in love with him. “Star Tank Tops” works in some organs & hi-hats wanting his crew to keep going if he ever winds up stopping & after “Make Her Twerk” produced by Wheezy gets lustful for a couple minutes, “Pskii” brings a darker atmosphere to the table talking about pushin’.
As for “Bone”, we have Gotit telling us the type of bitch he prefers leading into “Shrooms in Tulum” talking about consuming psilocybin when he was exploring the Mayan location out in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The song “Scooby & Shaggy” featuring Tall Mal likens themselves to the main character of the Skydance Corporation subsidiary Warner Bros.-owned Scooby-Doo franchise & his best friend while “Out da Way” concludes B4EON talks about money being the only thing he’s chasing.
E.O.N. (Everything Or Nothing) was originally announced back in July & now that it’s finally coming sooner than we think following several delays, B4EON holds fans off with an EP that proves the point I made when I reviewed Fraternal saying that Lil Gotit’s discography doesn’t blow me away like Keed’s did. I’m already well aware the upcoming LP will have star-studded guests & producers involved which is why I’m still excited for it, but I don’t see myself revisiting this very often.
Young Chris is a 43 year old rapper from North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania notable for being a member of the State Property crew & 1/2 of the Young Gunz subunit. He has since dropped a total of 16 solo mixtapes as well as a couple extended plays & 2 collaborative projects within nearly 2 decades, with the Cardiak-produced The Revival being my personal favorite of the bunch. Coming off the drumless Made in Philly with MadeinTYO this spring, he’s mainly holding down his 3rd EP by himself since The Network 3.
“Still Fine Dining” kicks things off with this 105 second intro hopping over a luxurious boom bap beat talking about being the one who weathers the storm whereas “Sativa on the Rooftop” goes for a drumless vibe instrumentally reminding us that he’s made it & some bitch on the verge of getting her boots knocked. “Disappointed” featuring Freeway & Icewear Vezzo finds the trio talking about not letting anyone get ahead of them while “Making Drops” balls on all these bluffin’ cornballs who stay cappin’.
Peezy appears for “The City Up” produced by Swaggyono of Working on Dying so they can talking about shaking up their respective hometowns of Philly & Detroit rollin’ with the pros in the club just before “Was It Ever Luv?” soulfully asks if what he had with this woman was legitimate or fraudulent. “This Life Get Crazy” spends the remaining minutes of Catch a Vibe treading the acoustic trap waters talking about the highs & lows of existing.
Hearing that Fine Dining collaborative EP he put out with Dave East the summer prior had me hoping Young Chris would go solo again sooner or later regardless of me still putting it above Made in Philly & despite it’s own flaws, Catch a Vibe attests to the former Roc-A-Fella Records signee’s longevity whether it be the 3 guest verses or the interesting production choices & Chris’ distinctive style drawing comparisons to the now defunct Def Jam Recordings imprint’s founder JAY-Z.
Northern Quarter, Manchester, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sleazy F Baby dropping off a new solo extended play of material. A member of the Cult of the Damned collective, he would sign to Blah Records in 2015 & make his full-length debut that year with All Blahk Tracksuit. He would also form the Super Sag Bros with Black Josh towards the end of 2017, coming off the Dirty Dike-produced sophomore effort Blaxploitation under Melonskin Records to drop Northern Quarter Confidential a week after Leon Slater became the youngest TNA World Champion.
“Cruise” gets the 4-pack going with a piano instrumental talking about the Cult always sending trends & being those muhfuckas prior to “Anti Hero” ending the 1st leg of the EP hooking up a woozier instrumental clarifying that he isn’t anything like the other weirdos he’s been compared to. “Whatever You Like” kicks off the 2nd half experimenting with plugg wanting to know the type of things the woman he’s addressing tends to enjoy & “STFU” finishes Northern Quarter Confidential on some cloudy, hardcore boom bap vibes.
So apparently Northern Quarter Confidential marks the beginning of a new series where Sleazy F Baby can keep building with 4 Limbs for as long as they like & it’s smooth introduction to where things will eventually go. The latter’s production doesn’t blow me away like All Blahk Tracksuit or Blaxploitation did although I appreciate the variety of styles ranging from drumless to boom bap to plugg despite primarily embracing a jazzier sound, suiting the more introspective approach Sleazy takes to his songwriting.
Trenton, New Jersey emcee, singer/songwriter, producer & music video director Jerry is back for his 5th extended play. You may know him for coming up as 1/2 of the duo MellowHype alongside Left Brain in the mid/late 2000s under the original moniker Hodgy Beats prior to helping I Smell Panties, Casey Veggies & The Jet Age of Tomorrow form the impactful albeit now defunct alternative hip hop collective Odd Future. He was also the first person in the Wolf Gang to put out a solo effort, dropping his debut mixtape The Dena Tape only 9 months after the crew put out their 1st tape as a unit The Odd Future Tape. Higashi Miyagi would go on to expand his solo discography with 2 more mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to his full-length debut Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide a day before my 20th birthday which to this day, I still think it’s possibly the most criminally overlooked offering that we’ve gotten since OF’s disbandment due to how much growth was shown on that album. Entitled was a solid comeback EP experimenting with contemporary R&B on top of a predominant west coast trap sound, coming off the singer/songwriter explorations of lovemesooner & No Receipt to go ACCAPELLA after his final rap offering Gayngsta.
After spending a bulk of the the 30 second “Hymns” intro vocally harmonizing, the opening track “Luck” sings about who one will trust when all of their fortune’s gone whereas “Firefly” pleads for his light to not be put out. “Racecar” continues from there clocking at almost a minute to sing about wanting to participate in auto racing & after the “Ayelive” interlude brings a gospel flare to the table for only a brief period of time, “Jose Meows” once again continues the harmonization we heard at the beginning.
“JoshuaTr##” kicks off the 2nd act singing for one of the iconic Mojave desert plants to be brought to him while “Missgrass” passionately find himself comfortable sitting in the bleachers & observing this person who desires of becoming a perfect leader. “Happyness” sings about keeping your worries right at the door & there being no fire to endure but after “Darling” asks if this person he loves knows he cares for them, the closer “TooEarly” ends the ACCAPELLA experience bridging a short verse in between the hook.
Gayngsta was still a bittersweet moment in Jerry’s career regardless of it not living up to my expectations & ACCAPELLA fully embraces this new chapter as a singer with an EP that I didn’t enjoy any more or less than the album he gave us only a month ago. Not that I don’t appreciate him trying to break his own artistic rules because his I find his a capella vocals more interesting than lovemesooner & No Receipt, but he needs to get with the right producer or producers that’ll elevate this new direction he’s going.
Here we have the 3rd solo extended play from Highland Park, New Jersey producer Mr. Green. For nearly 2 decades already, this guy has produced for some of the most prolific artists across the entire underground hip hop spectrum from the Army of the Pharaohs to R.A. the Rugged Man & Westside Gunn. He also has multiple beat tapes under his belt, coming off his previous EP F.U. S.M.D. (For U, Some Musical Distraction) & the sequel to deliver a trilogy chapter under Roc Nation Records.
“planets evolve” kicks things off rapping about getting shit confused if one think he came to take Ls even though the AI usage ruins it, but “ovomaltine” soulfully makes up for it talking about mixing shit up. “All My Life” featuring Macy Gray bridges the EP singing about war not being the answer & how love’s the key, but “Good Food” and “blessed” featuring Ab-Soul & KG both left me disappointed because of AI making it’s way back in the mix.
F.U. S.M.D. 2 (For U, Some Musical Distraction) 2 has been completely wiped from all streaming platforms & the original can still be found on Bandcamp, but I’m sad to say this could be my least favorite of the 3 entries in this 4 month saga. I can appreciate him being more serious as a performer & actually rapping instead of the original F.U. S.M.D. (For U, Some Musical Distraction) feeling like some karaoke shit, but it’s unnecessary he incorporated AI into 60% of the production when he doesn’t need to.
This is the 5th extended play Flint, Michigan rapper Krispylife Kidd. Since 2019, his popularity in the local trap scene has been gradually increasing going on to release a total of his previous 16 tapes & his last 4 EPs all in that span of time. Icewear Vezzo even signed him to Iced Up Records during the pandemic & Lil Yachty had him featured on Michigan Boy Boat. Now I’d start with Krispylife 2 & The Art of Spice Talk trilogy if you wanna dive into Krispylife’s music, although Juice & B.A.G. (Born A Goat) each had their own individual standouts a couple years ago. Coming off the Stunt Life EP as well as Why Me Worry? & Krisp Flair however, he’s responding to those asking Where’s Krispylife?.
“Drill Music” kicks off the EP with a sinister 2 minute intro talking about the gangsta lifestyle & being ready for whatever soon as he’s in the hood whether it’s firing guns in the club or asking how you wanna play it with him since he’s a real one prior to “Kaleidoscope” bridging it with a bouncier instrumental jokingly suggesting tying up & holding God for ransom if the price right along with being born into this shit. “I’m in Love” ends the 7 minute 3-pack asking this woman if she loves him the way he does.
Krispylife Kidd recently confirmed through his socials that his IUR deal’s almost up & he won’t be releasing a full-length studio LP until then, preluding this next era of his career with a 3-pack that I admittedly didn’t really care for unlike Juice or Krisp Flair. I’ve always considered him one of my favorite artists to break out of the Flint scene & wish him all the best going forward independently, but I didn’t get a whole lot out of the production.
Souls of Mischief are an alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California consisting of A-Plus, Opio, Phesto & Tajai of the Hieroglyphics collective. Their 1993 full-length debut ‘93 ‘til Infinity under Jive Records has since become a west coast masterpiece although the reception of their sophomore effort No Man’s Land as well as the Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings-backed Focus & Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution were average at best. Montezuma’s Revenge mostly produced by Prince Paul & There’s Only Now produced by Linear Labs Music founder Adrian Younge both join ’93 ‘til Infinity amongst their top 3 material, coming off Hiero’s widely celebrated return All Said & Done to drop a new extended play of material.
“Believers” begins with the 4 showing off their chopper skills over a boom bap instrumental whereas the only single “Nothing Without You” featuring Brookfield Deuce & Damian Lillard shows their gratitude to their hometown although both guest appearances were simply alright in my opinion. “Road Runnin’” featuring Jay Worthy produced by A-Plus kicks off the 2nd half shrugging off any worries they have regarding law enforcement bumpin’ classics & “Up With the Sun” featuring Phonte ends the EP on a funkier note looking to have fun.
It’s already been confirmed via the Souls of Mischief’s social media platforms that they’re planning to release their upcoming 7th album soon & although I didn’t end up loving Clean Getaway as much as All Said & Done last month, it’s still a passable prelude. The way everyone trades verses with each other proves regardless of there only being a couple guests I could’ve done without, but I feel like there could’ve been some improvements made within the production department.
The Strange Fruit Project is a trio from Waco, Texas consisting of Myth, Myone & S1. Forming as a duo 3 decades ago, they would eventually drop their full-length debut From Divine after Myone joined at the turn of the millennium & their sophomore effort Soul Travelin’. It wasn’t until The Healing dropped in the summer of 2006 where they started to gain traction, garnering comparisons to both Little Brother & the Native Tongues collective. Last time we heard from them was when the M.A.S.K. (Making Art Sound Kool) extended play & their previous album A Dreamer’s Journey came out, returning after over a decade for a new EP.
After the titular intro, “Stay Kings” opens up with this boom bap beat produced by none other than S1 talking about only the strong prevailing whereas “Superman” featuring Theory Hazit instrumentally takes a more soulful route explaining that everyone has their own kryptonite referencing the DC hero of the same name merely 72 hours following Warner Bros.’ oligarchic merger with Paramount to become the Skydance Corporation was finalized.
“Kast Out” hits the midway point of the EP confidently talking about spirituality & after the “Becoming” interlude, “See My Pain” featuring Deontaye Daywalker soulfully kicks off the 2nd half wanting the world to look at the suffering they’ve had to endure. “Won’t Back Down” featuring Rapsody finds all 4 of them talking about their refusal of surrendering under any circumstance while “Honor” featuring Blu dustily breaks down the things that humble them.
S1 has spent the last 16 years producing for some of the biggest names in music from Ye formerly known as Kanye West to Drake & Young Thug, so for him to run it back with Myth & Myone for a Strange Fruit Project reunion has been a long time coming & would probably prefer it over M.A.S.K. (Making Art Sound Kool) as far as their EPs go. The guests are all carefully selected & all add their own perspectives to the conscious lyricism these guys have become known for over S1’s rich boom bap production.
Joe Hendry is a 38 year old professional wrestler & singer/songwriter from Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom who’s also a former アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Champion, the longest reigning TNA Digital Media Champion & NXT Champion. Some however might not be familiar with him being the former frontman of an alt-rock/pop punk band called Lost in Audio in the early half of the previous decade, having the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE financially back his 2nd extended play following the independent Total Hendry EP.
“Give Joe Hendry Every Single Belt (Right Now)” opens up with this pop rock intro interpolating “Know Your Enemy” by Green Day desiring to hold every championship in the WWE whereas the country rock-tinged “Tables, Ladders & Chairs” likens a bad relationship to the type of wrestling match pioneered by the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz alongside former 7-time WWE Tag Team Champions & AEW World Tag Team Champions Adam Copeland & Christian Cage and former NWA World Tag Team Champions, 2-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, inaugural 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, WWE Hall of Famers & former 18-time WWE tag team champions The Dudley Boyz.
We have Joe demanding the WWE’s current Director of Live Events & general manager for Monday Night Raw in former 5-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion & PWG World Champion Adam Pearce to “Fire Logan Paul” considering that I’m not a fan of the former WWE United States Champion & WWE tag team champion as a person either just before the anthemic “If I Can’t Have Joe Hendry” sings about there being no one in the world like him. “If You Don’t Love Joe Hendry” contains an interpolation of “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber discarding his haters as useless trash while “Going Up to SmackDown” sings about eventually moving over to Friday Night SmackDown working for their GM in former 2-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, IWGPタッグチャンピオン, GHCタッグチャンピオン, 2-time TNA World Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Nick Aldis.
“Out of Nowhere” recalls his WrestleMania XLI match against former 14-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE United States Champion Randy Orton for an upbeat rock track while “Highland Cow” represents Scotland alongside former 5-time WWE world champion, NXT Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & TNA World Champion Drew McIntyre. “Everybody Else” cheerfully sings about being people’s favorite wrestler because of his abilities as a performer & as a musician while “Jingle Balls” pokes fun at 2-time WWE Champion, 8-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion & 9-time WWE tag team champion The Miz.
I do however appreciate the closing track “NXT Year” showing love to the WWE’s primary developmental brand NXT as well as the youngest DPW Worlds Champion Je’Von Evans and former PWG World Tag Team Champion, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion, EVOLVE Tag Team Champion, AAA Mundial Mixtas Parejas Campeon, NXT Champion & NXT North American Champion Ethan Page. Of course I can’t can’t forget to mention the shoutout to the AAA Mundial Mixtas Parejas Campeon co-holder during Ethan’s reign in the current WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green, who’s also the inaugural 2-time WWE Women’s United States Champion & a former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion in addition to being a former TNA Knockouts World Champion & TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champion.
Beyond Belief won’t make my Best of 2026 list or anything like that but I can’t deny Joe Hendry gave the WWE what probably the best musical body of work they’ve released in 2 decades since 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena fresh off his outstanding Coyote vs. Acme performance did the You Can’t See Me collaborative album with his cousin MC Trademarc that Spada4 of CZARFACE’s in-house production trio The Czar-Keys executive produced for Columbia Records. Especially when you compare it to def rebel’s formulaic entrance themes or that AFTERTHETIDES EP former 6-time WWE tag team champion Montez Ford put out couple months back.
Athens, Georgia rapper Babystaydown dropping a 3-pack behind bars. Somebody who already has his previous 16 EPs under his belt including PL Top Recruits, 1,350, Drugz Sex & Money and it’s sequel, 17, Genesis, his Cegular Records/Sony Music debut Hate da Way Um Livin, Saint, Pain Before Pleasure, Chief 13, Aimai, I.L.M.F. (I Love My Friends), ##Kool ##Kat & the Lost Files duology. His full-length debut Born Anew as well as the sophomore effort Art of War &I.B.S.D.W.M.P. (I Been Still Dealing With My Pain) have all continued to elevate him from an artistic standpoint, coming off the introspective Lil Yae promising he’ll be home Soon.
“Parting Ways” produced by Internet Money Records in-house producer Vendr opens up the EP with some acoustics & hi-hats promising all his homies that he’ll be back out in the streets sooner than later while “On a Shelf” instrumentally retains that same vibe thanks to Traiqo talking about living up to all his raps. The final track “No Love” sends off the 7 minute EP on a cloudier note courtesy of both Cade & Whyceg admitting he’s been waiting for things in his life to improve.
So it turns out Babystaydown had his house raided & was arrested weeks after Lil Yae came out under several charges from gang participation to firearm & drug possession, facing up to 35 years in prison if convicted although Soon makes an optimistic indication that he won’t have to serve the entire 3 decade plus sentence. Like he said: This whole case justifies the gangsta reputation he’s built for himself & if he beats it somehow someway, then I hope he learns from it & stays outta trouble going forward since this was short but sweet.
