Big K.R.I.T. – “T.D.T.” review

Big K.R.I.T. is a 32 year old MC & producer from Meridian, Mississippi who started out by releasing a total of 5 mixtapes from 2005 up until 2009. However, he signed to GoodTalk Records in 2010 & his 6th mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here that same year landed him a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings & a spot in the 2011 XXL Freshman Class. He then released his first 2 studio albums Live from the Underground & Cadillactica in 2012 & 2014 respectively, but then he departed from both Cinematic & Def Jam shortly after to form his own label Multi Alumni. His first outing under the imprint being 4eva’s a Mighty Long Time in October 2017, which is EASILY the best double disc hip hop album of the decade. He dropped a handful of tracks at the tail end of last year but now to kick off 2019, he’s delivering his very 1st compilation.

Things kick off with “Energy”, which is a dedication to K.R.I.T.’s significant other over a smooth Danja instrumental. The next song “Learned from Texas” is an ode to chopped & screwed music over a video gamey beat from DJ Khalil while the track “Pick Yourself Up” is a motivational anthem with a bouncy beat. The song “Glorious” is a charismatic bragging anthem with a cloudy trap beat & while the track “1 Oh Oh” has a blissful beat, the content about how his ex is keeping it real even after the breakup doesn’t interest me.

The song “Higher (King Pt. 6)” gets intellectually spiritual referencing Amazon founders Jeff Bezos over a lovely settle yet spacey instrumental with some background vocals that literally sound like they were sampled from Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak & then the penultimate track “Look What I Got”, Big KR.I.T. vividly vents about all that he did before he got famous over an atmospheric beat Supah Mario co-produced. The comp then finishes with “4 tha 3”, which is a dedication to Meridian with a soulful beat.

Personally, I think it’s really smart that K.R.I.T.’s kicking off this new year by combining THRICE X, DOUBLE DOWN & TRIFECTA into 1. Mostly because hearing these cuts on their own (i.e. DOUBLE DOWN) were just alright & bringing them all together really makes them a lot more cohesive in my opinion. A couple features would’ve been nice too, but I think this is a nice short taste of something bigger to come as Krizzle’s lyricism is well thought out & the production is mostly on par with 4eva’s a Mighty Long Time.

Score: 3.5/5

Cormega – “MEGA” review

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Cormega is a legendary 48 year old MC known for being an original member of The Firm. Since his departure from the group right after being signed to Aftermath Entertainment, he has gone onto release a handful of solo efforts including The Realness and Born & Raised. However, it’s been 4 years since the release of his Large Professor produced 5th album Mega Philosophy & now he’s finally returning alongside StreetRunner with his 1st EP.

The EP begins with “Say No More”, where Mega spits battle bars over a luscious beat. The next track “On Everything” talks about self esteem over a soulful beat while the song “Live Your Best Life” with Havoc pretty much speaks for itself over a vocal sample with some drums overpowering it. The penultimate track “Genuine Article” talks about his over a smooth piano-heavy instrumental & then the EP finishes with “Empty Promises”, which is a fitting sequel to the opener.

Overall, this was a pretty solid EP. Mega still has the passion & lyricism & the StreetRunner production was better than I had anticipated, but I was hoping that we got about 2 or 3 more tracks. That being said, I am looking forward to the album in 2019.

Score: 3.5/5

DJ Akademiks – “Clout Chaser” review

DJ Akademiks is a 27 year old media personality known for covering hip hop news on his YouTube channel & co-creating COMPLEX’s Everyday Struggle with Joe Budden in 2017, but I guess now he’s taking a jab at rapping by dropping this random ass EP on Christmas Day.

The opener “Chug Jug” is a response to “Fall” off of Eminem’s latest album KAMIKAZƎ, but it comes off as so plain & basic. The song “Durag” brags about a girlfriend of his who I’m not even sure exists over a trap beat with some prominent bells & while the penultimate track “Celina” is a dedication to Celina Powell, the delivery is awful & the beat is bland. The EP finally ends with “Super Lit”, which is a boring attempt at making a club banger.

Yeah, this was much worse than I expected. Ak’s commentary on both YouTube & Everyday Struggle has always made me feel like I’m losing brain cells, but he really takes it to the next level with dime a dozen production, flows & lyricism.

Score: 0/5

Vic Mensa – “Hooligans” review

Vic Mensa is a 25 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Chicago, Illinois who rose to fame in 2013 with the release of his INNANETAPE mixtape. He then dropped his debut album The Autobiography last summer & now in the midst of his recent BET Cypher controversy, he’s delivering his 4th EP.

Things kick off with “Dancing in the Streetz”, where Vic compares himself to a messiah over a nondescript trap beat that was surprisingly self-produced. The next song “Dark Things” sounds like a dime a dozen take on the current emo rap trend while the track “In Some Trouble” is a corny love tune. The song “Rowdy” with G Herbo is a mediocre club banger while the track “Reverse” with G-Eazy is a bland bragging anthem with an EDM beat from Marshmello.

The song “Klonopin” is a horrid auto-croon ballad produced by Travis Barker of all people while “The 1 That Got Away / No Shoes” starts off promising talking about success over a soul sample, it’s really the 2nd half of it that ruins it. The EP then ends with “Deserve It”, where Vic continues to boast over a boring trap beat.

I’ve been holding out hope that Vic would continue to show his potential on this, but this made me realize it was a total pipe dream. Instead, he’s trying to sound trendy & cool when it’s not working at all.

Score: 1/5

The Alchemist – “Bread” review

The Alchemist is a 41 year old producer, DJ & rapper from Beverly Hills, California who started out as 1/2 of the duo The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan. The duo disbanded a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting. Alchemist however, quickly established himself as a household name in hip hop production by working with a handful of legends from Mobb Deep to Eminem. He dropped a short 4-track EP back in April of this year called Lunch Meat & now he’s following it up with this 6th EP right here, which is equally as long as the predecessor.

The EP kicks off with “Ray Mysterio” by Hall ‘N Nash, where Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine deliver their signature gritty street bars over a smooth yet mystic sounding instrumental. The next track “Roman Candles” by Black Thought & Roc Marciano sees the 2 getting boastful over a jazzy beat while the penultimate song “Mac 10 Wounds” by Conway talks about how he’s not weak over a sinister beat. The EP then finishes off with E. Coli by Earl Sweatshirt, where he gets spiritual over a harmonious vocal sample & some strings.

Even though I would’ve loved 3 more tracks just like with Lunch Meat, this is on par with it’s predecessor in terms of length, production dynamics & passionate yet raw lyricism from beginning to end. Hopefully, Uncle Al drops something bigger as we head into 2019.

Score: 4/5

Jaz Kahina – “School Run” review

This is the long-awaited solo debut extended play from Hackney, East London, England, United Kingdom emcee Jaz Kahina. One of the most recognizable names in the UK underground hip hop scene with a career spanning over 2 decades, she’s made numerous guest appearances across several projects despite never hunkering down for an entire body of work that she could call her own until now refraining from having guest appearances & bringing some interesting producers on board for a School Run.

“Round Eere” poses the question of why these individuals are in her parts of town over a boom bap instrumental with some strings & after “Worth” produced by Beat Butcha embraces a more vibrant approach talking about understanding your value, “284” over a trap beat from Danny Wolf to end the 1st half of the EP letting us know the kinda shit she’s on compared to everyone else.

Micall Parknsun gets behind the boards for “Fatal Attraction” leaning more towards a futuristic yet cavernous trap sound to kick off the 2nd leg of School Run calling out a guy for dating a basic bitch while the penultimate track “Quitter” talks about all love surviving by the time the sun comes up. The outro “Carry On” spends the final 3 minutes on a jazzier yet soulful tip explaining the inevitable truth of people having to eventually move forward with their lives.

Intended to showcase Jaz Kahina’s ability as a skilled & versatile artist across the board, School Run’s production ranges from boom bap to grime & trap for her to rip apart for 20 minutes. I’m fairly confident a full-length studio debut LP could surpass this if she gets the right producer or producers & maybe a guest appearance or 2 from some UK veterans, but it’ll hold well enough for anyone eager to hear something bigger coming down the pipe whenever that may be.

Score: 3.5/5

Black Thought – “Streams of Thought 2: Traxploitation” review

Black Thought is a legendary 47 year old MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania most notable for being the frontman of The Roots. Fans were been wanting some sort of solo project for a long time now (especially after his iconic Hot 97 freestyle this past winter) & did just that earlier this summer by dropping a flawless EP with The Soul Council called Streams of Thought. Now if that isn’t enough for you, he’s officially following it up except with Salaam Remi producing it in it’s entirety.

The EP kicks off with “Fentanyl”, where Thought compares his skills to the drug over a gloomy beat. The next track “Soundtrack for Confusion” gets conscious over some live drumming & a bass guitar while the song “Get Outlined” talks about the rough life in Philly over the same instruments that popped up on the previous joint. The track “History Unfolds” is filled with angry battle bars over a sinister guitar while the song “How to Hold a Choppa” is about teaching the youth to defend themselves over a minimalist instrumental with a prominent saxophone. The track “The New Grit” brags about his rapping prowess over a funky guitar & more live drumming while the song “Liveth” goes back to the vicious battle bars with a smooth instrumental. The penultimate track “Streets” continues the theme of the last joint over a menacing boom bap beat & then the closer “Conception” talks about fame, race & religion over a soulful instrumental.

While this is a fantastic EP, it’s not better than the first one. I can appreciate Black Thought for holding it down on his own & for it being longer than the predecessor, but I would’ve loved to hear a different featured MC on a track or 2. However, that doesn’t stop Thought from continuing to prove himself as one of the illest MCs of all-time. Here’s to Vol. 3 (if planned).

Score: 4/5

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

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