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

Tyler, The Creator – “Music Inspired by Illumination & Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” review

Tyler, The Creator is a 27 year old rapper, producer & music video director from Ladera Heights, California who rose to prominence as the co-founder & de facto leader of the alternative hip hop collective Odd Future in 2011 with the viral success of the track “Yonkers” off his debut album Goblin. In 2015 though, OF broke off to focus on their solo careers in 2015 with Earl Sweatshirt’s sophomore album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside & The Internet’s 3rd album Ego Death being WAY better than Tyler’s disheveled 3rd album Cherry Bomb. However, he really showed maturity & artistic evolution with his last album Flower Boy that came out last July. He’s been on a 1-project every 2 years schedule since he dropped his only mixtape to date Bastard on Christmas 2009 but almost a decade later, he’s dropping his very 1st EP inspired by the new Grinch movie.

The opener “Whoville” is a luscious piano piece & then the first actual song “Lights On” sees T getting with Santigold & Ryan Beatty to tell 3 different situations on their way back home over some synths & explosive drums. The track “Hot Chocolate” is a smooth ode to the titular drink while the song “Big Bag” sums up the main plot points of the film over a somber beat. The track “When Gloves Come Off” is a predominantly blissful instrumental piece with some decent singing during it’s first leg & then the closer “Cindy Lou’s Wish” is pretty much a hypnotic instrumental.

As much as I love Tyler, this was just ok. The instrumentals feel like leftovers from Flower Boy & even though I like them a lot, I’m not gonna be dying to come back to them since they’re mostly packaged with lyrics clearly commissioned for a holiday blockbuster.

Score: 3/5

Chester P – “The Post Apocalyptic Storyteller” review

Chester P is a 42 year old MC/producer from Canonbury, London, England, United Kingdom notable for being a member of the Mud Family collective as well as 1/2 of the Task Force alongside his older brother Farma G. He would later go on to release the full-length solo debut From the Ashes in 2009 followed by the sophomore effort New Mic Order: Survive or Die Trying & the sequel, coming off the latter so one of the most prolific artists throughout the entire UK underground hip hop scene can drop off an extended play of material.

“The Past” chops up a guitar sample talking about grey clouds blocking the sky everyone’s wishing their troubles away to whereas “Dark Omens” eerily discusses catching him roaming across the wastelands. “Melancholic Flowers” featuring DRS finds the pair getting introspective over drumless pianos & after “All About to Blow” issues a warning regarding the Earth being on the verge of exploding, “The Authorship” reaches the halfway point with one of the most creative tracks Chester has written.

Remus appears for “No-One Makes It Out Alive” talking about tomorrow never coming if one’s stuck on today & learning life lessons through pain while “Unknown Dangers” encourages those who’ve made it through the day to enjoy the evening since we don’t know what the future holds. “The Initiation Process” blends some acoustics & woodwinds talking about the hangman waiting for him by the tree until the closing track “Hands Up” finishes with a jab at phony rappers.

Delivering a standout feature towards the backend of Ocean Wisdom’s 2nd album Wizville several months earlier, Chester P whips up an EP following the longest gap between releases marking a change of pace for his discography. The production teetering drumless & boom bap was crafted without the use of sampling, providing an organic backdrop for Chester to take a more mature approach to his subject matter than his earlier output.

Score: 4/5

Vince Staples – “FM!” review

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Vince Staples is a 25 year old rapper who came up as an affiliate of Odd Future. He dropped a number of mixtapes from 2011 up to him being signed to ARTium Recordings & Def Jam Recordings in 2014. Since then, he’s hit us with an EP one year & a studio album the next, with his 3rd EP over here coming fresh off of Vince’s critically acclaimed sophomore album Big Fish Theory last summer.

The EP kicks off with “Feels Like Summer”, which is an out of place summer anthem with a murky trap beat. The next song “Outside!” gets bloodthirsty over a bouncy beat while the track “Don’t Get Chipped” with Jay Rock talks about wealth over a spacey bass heavy instrumental. The song “Relay” has some great storytelling about this woman, but the hook is annoying. The “New Earl Sweatshirt” interlude pretty much trolls everyone who’s been anticipating Earl’s new album & while the song “Run the Bands” gets boastful, the hook is obnoxiously repetitive.

The track “FUN!” with E-40 is of course a party anthem over a hyphy beat while the song “No Bleedin'” with Kamaiyah sees the 2 vividly getting murderous over a nocturnal beat. The “Brand New Tyga” interlude is a follow up to the “New Earl Sweatshirt” interlude, except nobody wanted it. After the “562-453-9382” skit, we go into the closer. Here, Vince & Vonnie talk about how far they’ve come over a spacey trap beat along with a pretty Kehlani hook.

Honestly, this was just ok. The production is eclectic & Vince sounds hype, but I feel like it’s chocked with filler. I really hope his next album will be a much more consistent listen, because I know he can do much better than this.

Score: 3/5

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

MGK – “Binge” review

MGK is a 27 year old rapper from Cleveland, Ohio who signed to Bad Boy Entertainment at the beginning of the decade. However, his style never really stuck with me. His 2012 debut Lace Up was just ok, but General Admission & bloom was one of the worst albums of last year. However, he’s returning with his 2nd EP just a week after Eminem ripped him apart with “Killshot”.

Things begin with “LONG TIME COMING”, which is a 1-minute cringed auto-crooner. The next track “LOCO” gets braggadocious over some heavy bass & a generic hook while the song “G.T.S. (Going Thru Shit)” sees MGK is a melodramatic story about what’s on his mind over a bland banger beat. The track “RAP DEVIL” is a corny & basic diss towards Eminem that’s carried by a solid Ronny J instrumental while the song “NYLON” is another boring brag over a nondescript beat.

The track “LATELY” talks about an ex, but his attempt at getting melodic just comes off as annoying. The song “SIGNS” with 24hrs sees the 2 talking about a bad bitch over a spacey trap beat while the penultimate track “GET THE BROOM” is the best track on the EP period. MGK’s sounds very animated & the Honorable C.N.O.T.E. production suits him perfectly as well. The EP then finishes with “LIVEFASTDIEYOUNG”, where he tells us he doesn’t give a fuck over a murky trap beat.

This should’ve been called Cringe because while it is slightly better than MGK’s last 2 albums, it’s still pretty bad. There are a few actual compelling moments compared to his last 2 albums, but the beats are mostly generic & MGK’s basic does nothing for me.

Score: 1/5

Pitch 92 – “Lost in Space” review

Dublin, Ireland producer Pitch 92 dropping an extended play of solo material under the Hove, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom imprint High Focus Records. Known for being the in-house beatsmith of The Mouse Outfit, he would go on to produce the group’s first couple full-lengths Escape Music & Step Steadier until getting to jump behind the boards throughout Verb T’s 8th album Good Evening from start to finish 11 months earlier. Commemorating the upcoming anniversary, he’s getting Lost in Space for a warmup to his own debut LP.

The title track by Confucius MC & Jehst starts off with both of them talking about the survey saying they’re both insane whereas “Plane Ticket” by Verb T smoothly speaks of his mind focusing on this very moment. “Dawn” by K S R & Sparkz takes a funkier approach to the beat talking about getting it on until the sunrise leading into the jazzy “1 Handed” composition. “Mystery” & “XPJ” finish us off with a couple more instrumental pieces, which one maintaining the jazz influences & the other going lo-fi.

Balancing his dexterity by having a cast of well-picked UK hip hop veterans to up-&-coming American artists rocking the mic during Side A of Lost in Space & taking a more compositional approach to things over the course of Side B, this EP begins a new chapter in Pitch 92’s career offering a glimpse of what he can do behind the boards showcasing the soulful Jaylib & Pete Rock-inspired sound he’d become known for a few years prior. The production accommodates each guest accordingly relying extensively on an MPC with every backdrop he uses, paving the way for a future discography of self-curated projects that’ll span out with time.

Score: 3.5/5

G Perico – “Guess What?” review

G Perico is a 30 year old rapper from Los Angeles, California who blew up last year with the release of his debut album & his sophomore album respectively: All Blue & 2 tha Left. He’s been quiet since then, but he’s returning out of the blue (no pun intended) with his 1st EP.

After a spoken word intro, we go into the first song “Mo Power”. Here, Perico gets braggadocious over a vintage g-funk instrumental. The track “All Nighter” is filled with street bars over a piano key & a heavy bass-line while the song “Wit the Gangstas” talks about hanging out with Crips over a hyphy beat with wailing synthesizers. The song “Play Wit It” talks about fame, but the trap beat is decent & the 2 features are redundant to me. The penultimate track “What You Thinkin’?” sees Perico talking to this woman over a trap beat with G-funk synthesizers & then the closer “How U Want It?” is a club banger with a gritty ass beat.

Overall, this was just as good as the last 2 albums. Most of the songs are less than 3 minutes long, but G Perico continues to be the modern day DJ Quik by updating the vintage West Coast sound for a 2018 audience.

Score: 4/5

Iggy Azalea – “S.t.S. (Survive the Summer)” review

Iggy Azalea is a 28 year old rapper from Sydney, Australia who came up as a T.I. protege earlier this decade. She then signed to Def Jam Recordings in 2013 & dropped her debut album The New Classic the following year, which would go platinum. She’s been VERY quiet since then, but now she’s returning with her 2nd EP.

The title track kicks things off as Iggy gets confrontational over a piano & bass heavy instrumental that’s actually not bad while the next song “Tokyo Snow Trip” speaks on a coke addicted woman, the beat is boring as Hell & Iggy completely bites the Ying Yang Twins’ delivery from their classic club banger “Wait (The Whisper Song)”. The track “K.R.E.A.M. (Kash Rules Everything Around Me)” with Tyga is more of a bastardization of the iconic Wu-Tang Clan song “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” than it is a contest to see which of the 2 rappers attempting to stay relevant over a hyphy/trap fused instrumental.

“Hey Iggy” is an egotistical brag about how hot she is over a bass-heavy trap instrumental with some dreamy synths while the track “Kawasaki” is a hilariously corny sex tune over an generically eerie trap beat. The nightmare finally ends with “OMG”, where Iggy & Wiz Khalifa brag about their wealth over a woodwind-infused trap beat.

As I completely expected, this is awful. It’s a really pitiful attempt at trying to stay relevant with it’s mostly generic production & the self-absorbed lyrical content

Score: 0.5/5

Meek Mill – “Legends of the Summer” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper & songwriter Meek Mill preluding his 6th album with his 8th EP. Starting out in the battle rap circuit before T.I. briefly signed him to Grand Hustle Records. Once he left, Rick Ross brought him over to Maybach Music Group & we’ve seen a handful of ups & downs in his career over the past decade from the critically acclaimed Dreamchasers mixtape series to his beef with Drake. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison by a corrupt judge, only to be released 5 months later & preluding Championships with Legends of the Summer.

“Millidelphia” begins by triumphantly rapping about over an explosive trap instrumental from Swizz Beatz whereas the next song “Dangerous” featuring Jeremih & PnB Rock wastes some acoustics for cliché pop rap lyricism. The penultimate track “1am” is an energetic club banger with a bouncy instrumental from Jahlil Beats & the closer “Stay Woke” is arguably Meek’s best song I’ve heard in a long time talking about the justice system.

There’s no doubt my mind that Championships has the potential of being Meek Mill’s most mature musical statement & this 4-pack he drops off in preparation for it seems to be heading toward that route. The production’s a little 50/50 & I’m hoping that he’ll get that figured out with in the coming months but in regards to Meek’s own performances, he’s a lot more passionate than he was on Wins & Losses the previous summer.

Score: 3/5