SOB x RBE – “Family Not a Group” review

SOB x RBE is a hip hop quartet from Vallejo, California consisting of Slimmy B, Yhung T.O., DaBoii & Lul G. I first caught wind of them last year with the song “Paramedic!”, which was a personal highlight for me on the soundtrack for the near perfect Marvel film Black Panther. They quickly followed this up by releasing their first 2 albums with EMPIRE Distribution entitled GANGIN’ & GANGIN’ 2, but both of them were incredibly average. However after striking a new deal with Def Jam Recordings, they’re now teaming up with Hit-Boy to deliver their 3rd EP.

The opener “Chosen 1” has a spacey instrumental & while I can appreciate the message, it doesn’t even sound fully written. The next track “Both Sides” sees all 4 talking about choosing sides over an eerie bass-heavy trap beat while the song “Stuck in the Streets” gets murderous over a druggy beat while the titular song gets braggadocious over an atmospheric beat.

The track “Can’t Fold” viciously flexes their wealth over a hyphy beat while the song “W.Y.O. (What You On?)” is a buttery, mediocre sex tune. The track “Ran Off wit It” reminisces about all the crazy things they did before the fame over a smooth instrumental while the song “Young Wild Niggas” is self-explanatory & the instrumental is monstrous. The EP then finishes with “Scoring”, where the group celebrates their newfound success over a pretty piano instrumental.

This is EASILY the group’s best outing yet. The production that Hit-Boy brings to the table is more hard hitting than that of SOB x RBE’s last 2 albums & everyone sounds hungrier than ever.

Score: 3.5/5

Split Prophets – “The Forecast” review

The Split Prophets are a hip hop collective from Bristol, England, United Kingdom consisting of Datkid, Upfront MC, Res 1, Joey Paro, Bil Next, Flying Monk & Badhabitz. Forming in 2012, they would go on to drop their first couple of EPs The High Life and Southbound & Down the following year. They would eventually make their full-length debut at the beginning of 2016 with Delta Bravo Kilo, returning 3 years later with their 3rd extended play.

Datkid & Upfront MC hop over a jazzy boom bap beat during the intro “Bad News” pleading to stop with all the nonsense whereas “Mustard” goes for a cavernously raw approach instrumentally talking about how every single member has been taking their own steps in becoming more successful. “Paperback Book” blends a guitar sample with some kicks & snares for a hardcore hip hop joint reminiscent of the ‘90s just before “You Do You” comes across a bit more atmospheric talking about doing your thing.

“My Team” gets the 2nd half going aggressively making it clear that nobody can match their individual flows while “6 Deep” brings back the jazz rap influences so they can tell all their haters that they’re never quitting & the haters can live with it in misery as far as the squad’s concerned. Joey Paro & Upfront MC team up on “The Monsoon” going back-&-forth with each other over an organ sample leading into Flying Monk joining them for the intro “Oii”.

Needless to say: the Split Prophets has collectively been on a musical hiatus since Delta Bravo Kilo with everyone focusing on their solo careers but whenever they’re ready to reunite for a sophomore effort, The Forecast hints at what we can expect from them in the best ways imaginable. Badhabitz’ jazzy boom bap production feels reminiscent to Illinformed’s & lyrically, they’re aren’t too far behind from the Cult of the Damned in the sense that every MC has their own way of sticking out.

Score: 4/5

Iglooghost – “Clear Tamei / Steel Mogu” review

Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, United Kingdom electronic music producer Iglooghost fulfilling his Brainfeeder Records contract with a double extended play & his 6th overall. Dropping his debut mixtape Comet_Camping (Brkfstttt) in 2013, he would go on to follow it up with his debut extended play Twenteen & its successor Treetunnels preceding Flying Lotus signing him to Brainfeeder. His debut for the label Chinese Nü Yr on Devil’s Night 2015 became some of the most creative wonky music of that year, looking to further the critically acclaim of full-length debut Neō Wax Bloom by compiling Clear Tamei & Steel Mogu.

After the “Påleo Mamu” intro, “New Vectors” gets things going with this genius 3 & a half minute opener working in some xylophone-like synthesizers & strings whereas the Disc 1 title track combines drill & bass, wonky, experimental hip hop, glitch hop, bubblegum bass, grime, liquid drum & bass, deconstructed club, neurofunk, halftime & hardcore breaks for a chaotic single. “Namā” might be the only track on Clear Tameisince it feels like he’s playing things safer leading into “Shrine Hacker” featuring BABii reaches the halfway point on an orchestrally bass-heavy note.

Disc 2’s titular song succeeding the “1st Vōids” intro wasn’t as strong as the latter’s & starts the other portion of the EP on a bit sourly just before “Black Light Ultra” makes up for it by sampling “Ain’t It Funny” off Danny Brown’s masterpiece Atrocity Exhibition. “Mei Mode” whips up a futuristically energetic wonky, bubblegum bass, hybrid trap, deconstructed club, brostep & grime single that can be rhythmically quirky at times “Niteracer” wraps it up with this wonky, hybrid trap, UK bass, drill & bass, glitch hop, EDM trap, grime & bubblegum bass outro.

When it comes to Iglooghost’s EPs, I’ve always had Chinese Nü Yr as my favorite but I’m gonna have to put Clear Tamei / Steel Mogu above it considering we get some backstory behind the English producer’s full-length debut out of it. Both sides contain similar production styles including wonky, UK bass, hybrid trap, drill & bass, glitch hop, deconstructed club, hybrid trap, bubblegum bass & glitch hop except Steel Mogu’s significantly darker than Clear Tamei & we’re conceptually being introduced to young God in-training named Tamei who winds up in combat against a group of mysterious beings 3 millenniums preceding the events of Neō Wax Bloom.

Score: 4.5/5

Conway the Machine – “Everybody is F.O.O.D. 3” review

Conway the Machine is a 37 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who has been hustling mad hard with his brother Westside Gunn & their label Griselda Records throughout the past couple years. He just dropped his 9th mixtape Everybody is F.O.O.D. last summer with a sequel this past winter & now with his Shady Records debut coming in June, he’s decided to drop a 3rd installment out of nowhere.

The EP kicks off with “Everbody is F.O.O.D.”, where the Machine spits battle bars keeping elbows flying like the late WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time world champion & Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage over an eerie boom bap beat. “The Basement” challenges his competition over a prominent guitar while the song “Country Mike” continues the confrontational themes over some somber keys. The track “Richest in the City” talks about that over a a nocturnal boom bap beat & while I do like the fitting sample as well as the drug dealing story being told on “Egyptian Cloth”, it sounds unfinished. The song “London Pound” with Berner gets boastful over a mediocre trap beat from Cookin’ Soul & then after the “Survival” interlude, the closer “Don’t Judge Me…” picks up as Conway talks about how he speaks his mind over a gloomy boom bap beat.

All & all, this definitely has me looking forward to The Machine’s upcoming Shady Records debut even more. Conway sticks to his guns lyrically & he returns to his boom bap roots for the most part on this one in comparison to the previous installment being more diverse, but it works out fantastically. However, my big complaint is that he could’ve fleshed out a couple tracks & add about 2 more songs in the mix. Nonetheless, great EP.

Score: 4/5

Baka Not Nice – “no long talk.” review

Baka Not Nice is a 40 year old rapper from Montréal, Québec, Canada who started out as a security team member of Toronto, Ontario superstar Drake. He eventually signed to Aubrey’s very Warner Records imprint OVO Sound in 2013 & got a weird case of him forcing a 22-year-old woman into prostitution only to steal her money shortly after & questioning him being around him. Now just a few months after releasing his debut EP 4Milli this past fall, he’s returning with a follow-up EP that’s only 3 tracks.

The opener “My Town” gets confrontational over a nocturnal beat provided by 40 that fits in solidly & then there’s the song “30”, where Baka monotonously brags & the instrumental on here is super skeletal. The closer “Caddy’s” kinda bounces back as it’s a strip club anthem that actually goes over better than I had expected & the Juicy J verse is just flawless.

This is definitely better than 4Milli, but not by much. It goes a bit harder, but I think Baka & company could’ve worked in 2 or 3 more cuts so that it would become a more fleshed out product. Regardless, this has me a bit more curious to hear something bigger that he may have coming down the pipe soon.

Score: 3/5

Xtra Overdoze – “Viral Injection” review

Xtra Overdoze is an MC from The Bronx, New York who I first caught wind of with his debut mixtape WTFIXO? back in 2017 & to prepare for his first full-length album, he’s back with his debut EP.

The “Introjection” starts off as a decent skit, but then it erupts into a chaotic beat & a rapid-fire flow. The next song “What the Deal?” talks about being too live over an old fashioned boom bap beat while the track “My Mentality” talks about wanting to be forgiven over an ominous beat. The song “Don’t Stop” gets wicked over a rap rock beat while the track “She a Freak” with F. Dux speaks for itself over a synth-inflicted trap beat.

The song “Sour Apple” with Lex the Hex Master sees the 2 talking about their come up over some prominent keyboards & punchy drums while the penultimate track “Red Dixie Cup” is of course an alcohol anthem with a bouncy beat. The EP then finishes with “Dead Language”, where Xtra starts to vent over a haunting instrumental.

All & all, this has me excited to hear more of what this dude has coming in the future. The production is dark & Xtra Overdoze’s lyricism is cutthroat. Definitely an exciting new face in the horrorcore scene.

Score: 3.5/5

BVA – “Peep the EP” review

Glastonbury, Somerset, England, United Kingdom emcee & Real Life Drama Records co-founder BVA preluding his sophomore effort with his 2nd EP. A member of The 4 Owls as well as the Brothers of the Stone & the 3 Amigos, his solo debut B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) arrived in 2014 under High Focus Records roughly 3 years succeeding an eponymous debut extended play. However, the Leigh Brothers being enlisted to produce Peep the EP in it’s entirety caught my attention coming fresh off a Return to Stoney Island.

“Friends” produced by Leaf Dog kicks off the EP with a boom bap instrumental talking about it seeming like we’re going for broke sometimes & checking the notes as a result of that whereas “Brothers” blends some kicks, snares & grand sampling techniques to discuss making ducats with all of his homies. Illinformed jumps behind the boards on “Mary” beginning the 2nd half telling the story of an attractive woman whose appearance has become 50/50 over time while the soulfully jazzy “Chris” talks about not needing someone like the very character down for whatever.

We’ll we’ll just have to wait & see if BVA can surpass B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) in terms of a future LP from him down the pipe whenever that comes, but Peep the EP for only 4 tracks to me was more enjoyable than the 2011 self titled EP. Both of Leaf Dog & Illinformed’s portions of the boom bap production feel a lot stronger, with Leaf refraining from accompanying his Real Life Drama co-founder like he did for 3 songs right when the 2010s began & BVA getting more conceptual than he did with the last couple times he’s dropped material all by himself.

Score: 4/5

Mcabre Brothers – “Tell a Friend” review

The Mcabre Brothers are a duo from the United Kingdom consisting of Runcorn, Cheshire, England emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott alongside London emcee Milkavelli. Known for being members of Cult Mountain & the Children of the Damned, these guys made their eponymous debut in 2009 & followed it up with their debut EP Merry Critmass. Their sophomore effort Gonzo Lyricism was the last time we heard from the brothers & are back nearly a decade later with their 2nd extended play.

The title track sets the tone with a boom bap instrumental encouraging everyone to let their friends know the Mcabre Brothers are in effect again & after “Tie Die Sky” ruggedly talks about keeping it going until the job’s done, “Ring Back” featuring Black Josh works in more kicks & snares ending the 1st half comparing acid trips to an episode of the Discovery Global subsidiary Cartoon Network late night block [adult swim] hit series Rick & Morty.

“64 Bit” featuring Salar starts off the other leg of Tell a Friend with all 3 off them giving us witty video game wordplay over this industrial beat while “Flush” humorously talking about discarding mixtapes wack rappers are always passing out by making it go down the toilet. “No Chance” however wraps things up with this coldblooded boom bap instrumental dismissing the idea of any crew having the possibility of defeating them in a battle.

Ending the longest gap in-between releases so far, the Mcabre Brothers return after nearly 8 years for an EP making it clear as day for anyone listening to Tell a Friend they’ve returned & hopefully it won’t be the last time we hear them again. I’d still say their self-titled debut has the best production of all 4 projects Lee Scott & Milkavelli have done although I can appreciate the depiction of their style evolving over the course of an entire decade.

Score: 3.5/5

Drive-By – “4 the OG’s” review

Drive-By is a gangsta rap duo from Detroit, Michigan consisting of Blaze Ya Dead Homie & Anybody Killa. Both of whom the Insane Clown Posse signed to Psychopathic Records as solo artists in the early 2000s once juggalos began accepting their childhood friends Twiztid, dropping Pony Down in the fall of 2005 under the label that runs beneath the streets to fan backlash. Back on da Block & Run These Streets their own imprints Grundy Entertainment & Native World Inc., enlisting Majik Ninja Entertainment in-house producer Godsynth to fully produce their 4th extended play.

After the intro, “Fresh on the Scene” begins with a trap intro where Blaze & ABK are talking about pullin’ up lookin’ clean whereas “A Little Crazy” discusses the fact everyone has a bit of a looney side to them. “Black Dickies” reached the halfway point of the EP talking about being eastside family & after “In the News Again” discusses being wanted for criminal activity, “Shit Gets Real” takes a few minutes to explain what happens when things get serious. “Workin’ Girl” wasn’t that great of an outro however, falling flat as a club anthem.

Back on da Block & Run These Streets each have moments I find myself going back to more than Pony Down, but 4 the OG’s makes up for Drive-By’s lackluster debut over a decade ago with the best EP Blaze Ya Dead Homie & Anybody Killa have done as a pairing. Godsynth’s trap production paired with the lyricism toning down the gangsta rap & horrorcore elements in favor of a hardcore style, which I don’t consider that to be a bad thing.

Score: 4/5

Broom Man – “Spoof” review

Manchester, England, United Kingdom emcee Broom Man enlisting London jazz rap/boom bap producer Illinformed to solely produce his solo debut extended play. Someone who up until this point has yet to drop a collection of material under his own name, yet was introduced to him through his appearances on Cult of the Damned leader Lee Scott’s sophomore effort Stupid Poignant Sh!t. And considering that history, it doesn’t come as a shock for Blah Records to be the one who’s backing Spoof seeing the light of day.

After the intro, “BRM” hooks up a downtrodden boom bap instrumental so the Broom Man can lay out some gritty hardcore lyricism whereas “Safe Safe” works in some pianos mixed with kicks & snares to discuss his shit being pure. “Ovis” featuring Lee Scott finds the pair joining forces over a funky beat so they can talk about their egos driving them to places they didn’t want to go to just before “Astronope” brings some ominous chords in the picture discussing everything being fun & guns until getting stuck up for what you know.

“Monster City” maintains the boom bap vibes talks about being here to kick knowledge instead of lurking across the dance floors while “Kuato” after the “Quaid” interlude eerily speaks of opening our minds. “Zack Morris” gets back on the funkier tip instrumentally talking about being dafter trying to escape the fishnet & after the title track dustily makes it clear he could care less of appealing to a wider crowd, “Mr. Pope” featuring Bisk spends the concluding minutes of Spoof teaming up for a hardcore boom bap outro.

So it turns out the Broom Man began recording Spoof with Illinformed back in 2013 after he had recorded his verse for Stupid Poignant Sh!t until a devastating fire at the Blah Mansion in Blackburn, Lancashire convinced the label that the 22 minute recordings were destroyed & scrapped it. Thankfully, they were able to recover those lost sessions somehow someway & give the world his proper musical introduction outside of guest appearances the way it was initially conceived.

Score: 4/5