Wrrdsmith – “Back in the Lab” review

Wrrdsmith is a California based up-&-coming MC & this is his first EP. It starts off with “I’m the Man”, where he & Asce Blayze brag about how dope they are over an atmospheric instrumental. The next song “The Interview” talks about him as an artist over a 9th Wonder-esque instrumental while “Progress” talks about him giving his best over a druggy beat. The song “The Phone Call” is a love tune with a twangy guitar while the title track gets braggadocious over a boom bap beat.

The song “Can’t Trust ‘Em” takes a jab at all the lames over a murky trap beat from Southside of all-people & the penultimate track “Who I Am” talks about his never ending grind over a somewhat cloudy trap beat. The EP finishes with “Grind”, where he gets ambitious over some strings & hi-hats.

Overall, this was pretty dope. Despite a few songs sounding unfinished, I love the genuine passion that Wrrdsmith shows & it’s pretty well produced

Score: 3.5/5

Kannon – “Psycho” review

Kannon is an 18 year old rapper from Bakersfield, California & this is his first EP.

The EP kicks off with “You Can Be”, where he gets ambitious over some heavy bass & piano keys. The next song “Sin” touches down on internal conflict over banging trap beat while the track “Drug” compares his girl to a drug over cloudy trap beat. The song “I’m Sorry” is a sung apology to an ex over a booming yet somber beat while the track “Rose” tells this girl not to go away over a cloudy beat. The song “Run Up a Check” with Jaylon sees the 2 gets braggadocious over a bass-heavy instrumental & the closer “#BeTheSame” gets menacing over a decent trap beat.

As a whole, this was a pretty solid EP. The production isn’t too bad & Kannon shows a lot of ambition

Score: 3.5/5

G-Mo Skee – “8 Bit Filth” review

In front of us is the 2nd EP from Richmond, California lyricist G-Mo Skee. Emerging as a member of the trio Stampede & later the Inf Gang. He would drop 2 official mixtapes Got Filth & Got Filth II: The Great Adventures of G-Mo independently before Twiztid signed him to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2016. His full-length debut My Filthy Spirit Bomb coming out that same winter to significant acclaim, teasing Chaly & the Filth Factory with 8 Bit Filth after making an appearance at the first annual Astronomicon.

“Final Boss 2” is a sequel to the song on his 2012 sophomore mixtape Got Filth 2: The Great Adventures of G-Mo & I think this is a lot more grimier than the original from the production to the lyricism. The next song “Skate” is filled with confrontational battle bars over an Atari-esque boom bap beat while the track “Glitch” sees G getting with the Inf Gang to talk about about making it over a spacious beat.

The song “Trouble” is an angry reminder that you don’t wanna fuck with G-Mo over a sinister beat from Godsynth while the title track is basically about his haters & his longevity over a boom bap beat. The song “Fade Up” with Crowda, Jamie Madrox & King Gordy is about weed over a murky beat while the penultimate track “Can’t Lose” is a triumphant ode to G’s success. The EP then finishes with “Final Stage”, where G spits battle bars over a sinister beat.

As a whole, this is a fantastic prelude to G-Mo Skee’s next album & in general professes itself in being a love letter he has for video games which I appreciate being someone who enjoys gaming as much as listening to music. His filthy confrontational bars are raw as ever, the guest list is & the video game samples (which is why you can only get the EP exclusively at the MNEStore website) are creatively used catering to the sound G has become notable for.

Score: 4.5/5

Westside Gunn – “FLYGOD is Good…All the Time” review

Up until this point, it seems that Hall ‘N Nash member & Shady Records signee Westside Gunn has been having a quiet 2018. However, he is finally coming out of the dark with his 3rd EP & he has enlisted Mr. Green to produce it in it’s entirety. After the Kool Herc intro, we then go into the first song “Part Deux”. Here, the FLYGOD gets reminiscent on his past & how far he’s come since then over a piano & an alluring soul sample. The track “Stash House” flaunts about the shit he’s bought from being in the drug game over a grimy boom bap beat while the song “Trash Bag” gets confrontational over a funky bass-line with the drums in the background popping like his famous gunshot adlibs. The penultimate track “8 Seconds” charismatically touches down on his success & pretty much says “fuck you” to those who didn’t have his back in the past over a gloomy instrumental. The EP then finishes off with “Brazy”, where he talks about being on his bullshit & basically tells you that he’s God over a dreary beat.

Overall, this was just as great as I expected it to be Westside Gunn’s grim street bars are vivid yet charismatic as always & they suit Mr. Green’s raw production just as well as I thought they would. I believe the Griselda camp is one of the illest out right now & despite this being released under Nature Sounds, it is no exception

Score: 4.5/5

Mike Shinoda – “Post Traumatic” review

Mike Shinoda is a rapper from Agoura Hills, California best known for his work with LINKIN PARK. He put out a solo album called The Rising Tied under the name Fort Minor back in Late 2005, but the first project of his to be officially credited to his birth name comes in the form of a 3-track EP. The EP starts off with “Place to Start”, where he vents about being tired of fear & hopelessness over a settle instrumental. The next song “Over Again” sees Mike on the verge of tears paying tribute to his longtime LINKIN PARK co-vocalist Chester Bennington, who committed suicide in Late July of last year, over an electronic-esque instrumental. The closer “Watching As I Fall” talks about how distraught he is of Chester’s suicide over a dubstep-ish instrumental with some guitars thrown in. Going into this, I got EXACTLY what I was expecting. The production’s a lot darker than LINKIN PARK’s latest album 1 More Light (which I still consider to be the band’s worst album by the way) & it fits perfectly with Mike’s passionate delivered eulogy to Chester

Score: 4/5

Domo Genesis – “Aren’t U Glad You’re U?” review

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About 8 months after the release of his last mixtape Red Corolla, Odd Future member Domo Genesis is coming back lowkey with his 6th mixtape & he has enlisted Evidence of Dilated Peoples to produce it in it’s entirety. The opener “Me vs. Me” vents about internal conflict referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle over a jazzy yet gloomy instrumental. The next song “Shaq Carries Kobe” with Phonte takes a jab at all the phony dudes out there over a mellow beat while the track “Free Kirk” talks about going from a hustler to a rapper & the instrumental is pretty much a thunderstorm with a sample in the middle of it. The song “BBB” gets confrontational over an eerie instrumental & then the track “Sing Me a Song” getting insightful yet ambitious over a smooth beat.

The song “Brake” may be only 2 minutes long, but he sounds menacing over a Latin guitar. The 1-minute “Fuck a Co-Sign” sees Evidence himself making the song for itself over a soulful beat. Although I wish Domo had a verse on here to make it a little longer, it was still great to hear Ev rapping on here. The closer “Hood Famous” touches down on living by your limits & the piano on here is absolutely beautiful. Despite being 20 minutes long, this was still a very dope tape. The production isn’t superior than No Idols, but it’s still pretty relaxing & it suits Domo’s flow

Score: 4/5

Anyway tha God – “Over P’s” review

Slough, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Anyway tha God enlisting London veteran Micall Parknsun to produce his first extended play of solo material in its entirety. Releasing the debut mixtape As I Was Sayin’… in the fall of 2012, he would become distinct for his multicultural perspective on the UK hip hop scene incorporating Caribbean influences representing his heritage. Returning after 6 years however, Over P’s was conceived in the middle of the trials & tribulations he was going through.

“I’m More!” starts us off with a boom bap beat radiating a religious aura talking about his worth whereas “Leave Me Be…” has a more luscious vibe whilst restraining the dustiness, speaking of having no time for stupidity. The title track featuring Dani Bliss & Joker Starr finds the trio on top of a nocturnal boom bap instrumental overcoming all obstacles but after a proclamation of protecting “The Children”, we have Micall Parknsun & Moralistik discussing appreciation for “The Present”.

Encouraging better environments presently for tomorrow as a father along with encouraging the goodhearted and inspiring/encouraging the leader within ourselves, Anyway tha God makes a confident return by getting significantly personal than he did compared to As I Was Sayin’… since it’s a testament regarding why he makes music. Micall Parknsun’s production’s less rawer than Anyway’s early mixtape although it retains the traditional boom bap sound & the guests all help spread the word of self value/worth.

Score: 4/5

XXXTENTACION – “A GHETTO CHRISTMAS CAROL!” review

With his trial coming up this Friday, Floridian 2017 XXL Freshman XXXTENTACION is giving his fans his 7th EP. The opener is the title track, where X getting braggadocious over an eerie trap beat from Ronny J. However, he doesn’t sound exciting & the “Day ‘n’ Nite” reference during the hook is corny. The next song “Hate Will Never Win” gets conscious over the instrumental of “Life” by the Funky Cowboys, but he’s just mumbling atonally. Also the Donald Trump samples X incorporates at the beginning & the end were nice, but they didn’t need to be there during the verse as well. The “Up Like an Insomiac” freestyle actually feels like a finished track, but the beat is bland & his delivery is annoying as Hell. The 1-minute “Red Light!” has a mediocre beat & X’s angrily delivered lyrics are substance-less. The closer “Indecision” might be 2 minutes, but it’s super underwritten. Honestly, this is almost as bad as X’s 17. The production is subpar & almost every track still sounds as unfinished as before

Score: 1/5

Super Sag Bros – Self-Titled review

The Super Sag Bros are a duo from Manchester, England, United Kingdom consisting of emcee/producer Black Josh & emcee Sleazy F Baby. Both of whom are members of the Cult of the Damned collective & have crossed paths with each other several times on tracks like “Ohana” or “Gucci Glasses” & “Gang Gvng” to name a few. Looking to elevate themselves to the next level, it doesn’t surprise me that Blah Records is putting out their eponymous debut EP through the London imprint.

We get a cloudy trap instrumental during the intro “28 Grams” talking about levitating in the middle of them getting blazed so much that they’re walking on air & the whole crew looking fresh whereas “Burner” suggests not to call their phones if there isn’t a job for either of the Super Sag Brothers who always stay 1 step ahead. “Paranoia” gets the 2nd half of the EP going by talking about staying stoned on a daily basis while the closer “10 Bud” passes it to the left fusing jazz rap & trap.

Commemorating the process of weed becoming legalized in both the UK & the United States respectively, Black Josh & Sleazy F Baby whip up a 14 minute extended play trading verses over trap production taking secondary influences from jazz rap & cloud rap in time for Black Friday. I might even prefer it a bit more than the B-Movie Millionaires’ eponymous debut EP a few years earlier partly due to the Super Sag Bros having no guest appearances at all despite enjoying nearly ever feature on there.

Score: 4/5

Antiheroes – “Disasterpiece” review

The Antiheroes are a duo consisting of Runcorn, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott alongside Sari, Iran emcee/producer Salar. Introducing themselves in 2003 off their debut mixtape Middle Finger Salute, they wouldn’t return until almost a decade later when they dropped their full-length studio debut Flows for the Contemporary Urban Gentleman. However after taking a 6 year hiatus, Lee & Salar have reuniting for an extended play produced by Farma G & having Telemachus handle the engineering process of it all.

“Godnose” dustily begins advising to not stress over anything & to do your thing since they got your back whereas the title track encourages all to follow them on this path towards searching peace. We get some pianos mixed with kicks & snares promising to throw boulders at a “Glass House” just before “No Sleep ‘Till Mars” finishes this Disasterpiece with a quirky boom bap instrumental talking about both of them not losing a step after another lengthy period of inactivity.

It’s not very often where the Antiheroes release new music & almost 15 years since their formation, but I could debate Disasterpiece for only an EP places itself above Flows for the Contemporary Urban Gentleman & Middle Finger Salute in becoming the greatest thing Lee Scott & Salar have ever made together. Farma G’s production here sounds a lot rawer than both of its predecessors & for 4 tracks clocking at over 10 minutes, both of them sure deliver in that short amount of time.

Score: 4/5