Insane E – “E.A.R.T.H. (Energy, Alchemy, Reality, Technology, History)” review

East Palestine, Ohio emcee & graphic designer Insane E celebrating his birthday with a brand new EP. Starting out as 1/4 of the No Clue Crew in the early 2000s, he branched out in favor of a solo career releasing The Fine Line at the very end of that decade & subsequently became the Head of Graphic Design for Majik Ninja Entertainment & a graphic designer for the label’s founders Twiztid in November 2013 only 11 months after the demented duo had departed from Psychopathic Records to do it themselves. Scales came a decade after The Art of Blaowww & became the Astronomicon graphic designer’s most fleshed out work, looking to speak on the E.A.R.T.H. as we know it today from a conceptual standpoint.

“Energy” opens with the trap metal experimentations that we got hear to Scales only 14 months ago pleading to feel again & be taken away whereas “Alchemy” finds Fritz the Cat instrumentally throwing it back to some of Twiztid’s earlier material talking about being out of his mind & from another time. “Reality” goes for a straightforward rap rock vibe thanks to Stir Crazy advising to stop & think of what you’re doing while “Technology” talks about humanity becoming infected by a disconnected system.

The song “History” hooks up a guitar passage & some occasional synthesizers appearing during the hook explaining that only love will remain with the past slowly fading away as time continues to slip faster as well as being open to the change once the system is broken while the closing track “With You” finishes E.A.R.T.H. (Energy, Alchemy, Reality, Technology, History) off with an acoustic boom bap crossover talking about being in his car riding with the windows unsure of where his destination is.

In preparation for Insane E’s upcoming 4th solo LP Neon Jesus & the No Clue Crew set to reunite with new music of their own, E.A.R.T.H. (Energy, Alchemy, Reality, Technology, History) offers a range of styles from the rap rock to trap metal influences within the production that we get on that previous album carrying itself over & holding down the microphone by himself for 23 & a half minutes or giving an open-minded or perhaps extra-terrestrial perspective on topics encompassing the state of our planet’s past, present & future.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Keisha Plum – “Trouble” review

Buffalo, New York spoken word artist Keisha Plum now based in Atlanta, Georgia releasing her 2nd EP & the first in almost a decade. Notable for her spoken word poetry that you can easily find on a plethora of Griselda Records projects in the past decade of them taking over the underground, some may not know of her putting out an EP of her own in the spring of 2016 called Tears of Honey & is dropping Trouble only 48 hours after Benny the Butcher’s newest mixtape Summertime Butch 2.

“P.P.P. (Peaches, Plums, Pineapples)” was a soulful intro talking about being in tropical paradise & suggesting to look deep into her eyes to see the villain in her whereas “W.W.G.D. (What Would Griselda Do?”) answers the titular question over a chilled out instrumental by reaffirming that they’ll fire the sticks first before they shoot you. “All Blvvdy” moves on from there talking about leaving crisp White Forces covered in blood prior to the jazzy “Write Something” instrumental interlude.

Starting the 2nd half of Trouble, “AK Spray” gives me a grandiose vibe instrumentally to talk about being a Goddess by day & her poetry hitting y’all like an assault rifle while “Lamboramo” works in an orchestral sample admitting that Lil’ Kim of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. used to be her role model when she was younger & desiring a purple colored Lamborghini. The title track closes the EP with heavy pianos talking about her doing well these days knowing a few people she considers Lucifer in jest.

Trouble comes only 7 & a half months since that posthumous DMX spoken word EP Let Us Pray: Chapter X last winter & despite Warryn Campbell’s production on the latter being superior in comparison, there’s no question that Keisha’s recap on the past quarter of a century recalling the pain & struggle she endured is more appreciable giving hardcore Griselda fans a little of her story completely resetting herself in the process.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

BabyBartier – “Awe$ome” review

BabyBartier is a 17 year old rapper from Los Angeles, California introducing himself to the underground trap scene a few months back off his debut EP Baby Blanco & was followed up 7 weeks later with another EP Diablo, receiving co-signs from the likes of Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor along with both of YSL Records’ newest artists 1300SAINT & 9 Vicious although they fell out with one another recently. Only a couple months have passed since Diablo & he doesn’t look to slow down dropping his 3rd EP.

The title track was a 72 second intro desiring to get so high that he won’t ever land whereas “4 da Gang” gives off a cloudy trap vibe instrumentally thanks to Patrick Garza talking about who he does this shit for. “The Plug” reaches the halfway point of Awe$ome flexin’ that he came in with a drum even though he’s not a rockstar while “No Hook” featuring Unitus pulls from the plugg scene dropping off a couple verses for 2 & a half minutes. “Off the Wall” turns up the rage a little talking about his eccentricity prior to “Heaven’s Gate” closing the EP by talking about being the king of the jungle.

For an up-&-coming west coast trap artist beginning to put out projects a few months ago after releasing his debut single in 2023, the BabyBoyRecords founder comes off both of Awe$ome’s predecessors from this spring by having more fun musically as we approach the halfway point of summer. Drawing inspiration from trap to plugg & rage regarding the production, BabyBartier’s got his own unique swag & a lot more than the new Justin Bieber album we got outta nowhere last weekend.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Giffy Pluggo – “Luxury Manifesto” review

Chicago, Illinois emcee & ATIP Records founder Giffy Pluggo dropping his 3rd EP ahead of the Douda deluxe. Emerging a couple years ago off his debut mixtape Paid Leave & it’s sequel last summer, put out a deluxe version of his debut album Los Pluggos several months ago followed by Pluggo’s Birthday & Douda respectively. The latter mostly produced by Myles becoming the most beloved entry in his discography thus far, coming back after a few months for a Luxury Manifesto.

The title track produced by Scott Storch will arguably surpass “Casino” in being his biggest hit from the exuberantly cloudy instrumental to the lyrics about having the winning head whereas “Long Distance” featuring Global blends cloud rap & jazz rap taking on more romantic topics. “Livin’ Life” brings a soulful trap vibe to the table expressing gratitude for being in his current position until “Smoke & Stack” featuring BSF Tone 066 pleas for their homies who took risks to come home from the penitentiaries.

Shifting focus away from the conceptual Douda this spring letting the world inside of Giffy Pluggo’s personal life, Luxury Manifesto turns the pressure up for the midwestern Black Soprano Family affiliate to state his aims of fortune ditching the predecessor’s balancing between boom bap & trap in terms of production opting in favor of ditching that traditional east coast sound in favor cloud rap along with jazz rap & chipmunk soul.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Weiland – “Fall from Grace (When is Enough, Enough?)” review

Tampa, Florida rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & audio engineer Weiland releasing his 2nd EP of the year & the 4th in his discography altogether. Coming up almost a decade ago off his debut EP Insomnia, his first couple mixtapes Packrunner & Grimey Life resulted in Victor Victor Worldwide signing him for the synthpop inspired Vices to high acclaim. You Can’t Climb the Mountain in N.Y. came out a couple months ago to warm reception & Fall from Grace looks to up the ante.

“Crash” was a 55 second synthpop, hypnagogic pop & coldwave intro suggesting not to blame self justice when we live in this world whereas “The Man Who Last the War” could be my favorite on the EP singing about heartbreak. “Let’s Go to Bed” feels reminiscent to some 80s new wave synthpop with a more lo-fi approach to it while “She’s Got a Gun” ahead of “The Lovefix Purpose” outro finds himself having nowhere to run from a woman who didn’t mean to claim her love.

Fall from Grace carries over almost every sound that we heard throughout You Can’t Climb the Mountain in N.Y. except for the neo-psychedelic undertones taking a darker turn regarding the songwriting portraying himself as an individual trying to make sure everything in his life is in order & searching for purpose in the disorderly conduct. People have all felt lost, tired or broken at a point or 2 in their lives & those themes can heavily relate to many of us continuing to find a reason to move forward.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Brothers of Chaos – Self-Titled review

The Brothers of Chaos are a west coast horrorcore duo from California consisting of San Jose emcee Chuckklez as well as Simi Valley singer/songwriter, rapper, producer, bassist, guitarist, audio engineer & music manager Freakshow. We recently got Chuckklez’ sophomore effort debut Horrors from the Unstable produced by DJ Ill Sprite this past winter, although it marked his debut for Lyrikal Snuff Productionz. However, he’s secured a separate label deal for him & Freakshow to properly introduce themselves to the Gore Hop universe with a debut EP in preparation of an upcoming tour run.

“Chaos” produced by Freakshow begins with a wicked rap rock intro talking about playing with an evil seance whereas “Sick Minds Think Alike” takes the boom bap route thanks to Zombie Aristocrats looking to leave corpses rotting in the sun. “Sonz of Darkness” samples “Fear No Evil” by Gimisum Family & Hollow Poynt displaying a back-&-forth chemistry while “STFU” featuring Bloody Ruckus sends a message to those who don’t know when to shut up. “Wanna Play a Game” references the Saw franchise & “Wicked Days” featuring Madopelli finishes with a west coast horrorcore heater that M.A.D. laced himself.

Chuckklez has already told The Gorefather himself Scum that he’d rather be a solo artist, but he wouldn’t mind being a part of a group depending on the person or people & how connected he is to them. The inaugural extended play from the Brothers of Chaos gives the underground wicked shit scene a glimpse of his magical chemistry with Freakshow, which has me hoping they’ll do an entire album down the line honing in on the standout beats now that the San Jose artist has been having more fun with his partner-in-rhyme than being by himself.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Yves! – “R.O.T.Y. (Rookie of the Year)” review

Houston, Texas rapper Yves! releasing his 15th EP a month succeeding the prelude. In almost 3 years, the last dozen of EPs under his name have all caught the attention of underground trap whether it be the Om. series & the Avarice. series or 4DaKash & Welcome to the Palace. Marking his 4th EP of 2025 alone, R.O.T.Y. (Rookie of the Year) looks to expand on what he went for on B4 R.O.T.Y. (Rookie of the Year) merely 4 weeks ago by serving up the main event with some notable production credits.

“1 of 1.” starts with a cloudy pop rap trap intro clocking at 115 seconds telling his girl to get her hands on her knees whereas the tropical “3am Thoughts.” talks about what goes through his mind in the early hours of the day. “Love.” produced by Cxdy of Internet Money Records giving props to Destroy Lonely’s last album Love Lasts Forever leading into the rage inducing “Sexy.” talking about his chick loving his vibe.

Cxdy gets back behind the boards for “Giuseppe.” referencing the Italian luxury footwear & fashion designer Giuseppe Zanotti just before “Drunk in Luv.” experiments with trap, rap rock & pop rap asking what happened between him & this woman whose final words to him were “replace me” prior to getting drunk in the car. Rio Leyva & Vendr cook up the playfully cloud rap/trap outro “10s.” wanting to know why this person he needs by his side hasn’t been around.

Looking to take over the game, R.O.T.Y. (Rookie of the Year) feels unlike anything else Yves! has done previously achieving his desire of making waves artistically. The production has a little bit of something for everybody from rage to hyperpop, cloud rap, experimental hip hop, trap, pop rap & rap rock taking a more serious approach to his delivery & songwriting on top of it in the midst of his booming popularity.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Sk8star – “Pale Fever” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Sk8star with his 7th EP & the 3rd of this year. Getting his footing in the spring of 2021 off Superstar Status, he would go on to follow it up last year with both the B4NWØ EP & his debut mixtape New World Ørder respectively. The latter being my introduction to Sk8’s music after my lil brody UnreleasedSnip put me on, with songs like “Standin’ on Business” & “YSL Flow” being the standouts for me personally. Following his 3rd EP Mogul along with rebel at the beginning of 2023 & whole new meaning that same spring, Sk8 addressed the Rebel in the Room & continues the Rebelution by putting out Pale Fever.

“Pale Face” produced by Richie Souf blends trap & electronic together talking about being a Designer Junkie whereas “Confused” works in some pianos, organs & hi-hats to get so high that he’s unable to think clearly. “Rugby” gives off a bit of a luxury trap vibe talking about shit on the verge of getting ugly prior to 1300SAINT joining Sk8 on “Achoo” incorporating pianos & hi-hats to trade verses with one another.

Nosaint of Vanguard Music Group produces the highlight “Tycoon” feeling like he’s a magnate & spreading no hate towards anybody stickin’ to the plan of fuckin’ up these checks coming his way leading into “Fein” cloudy talking about dealing with his face to get to the place you want to go. “ForMyRealOnes” lastly rounds out Pale Feverwith a dedication to those who’ve been by his side through it all.

Couldn’t tell you exactly how many EPs we’re gonna be getting until Sk8star decides to put out his debut album Designer Junkie, but it’s quite impressive that most of Pale Fever channels the energy of “Sex” for almost 17 minutes. The detailed production mostly handled by Richie Souf captivates on the 2 bangers he produced a few months ago carrying it out on a majority of it’s successor & Sk8 lyrically gives a taste of what’s to come on his upcoming debut.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

The Doppelgangaz – “Still Left” review

This is the 12th EP from Orange County, New York duo The Doppelgangaz. Consisting of MCs/producers Matter ov Fact & EP, they’ve gone on to make waves in the underground by dropping a total of 8 full-length albums as well as 11 EPs & 6 beat tapes. Standouts include their breakout sophomore effort Lone Sharks, the follow-up Hark, their 5th album Dopp Hopp, Aaaaggghh, Black Cloak Lifestyle & Went Left. Been almost a couple years since the latter embarking on a west coast sound as opposed to their roots & they’ve decided to hit us with a sequel to it.

After the “JO VM” intro, the title track was a g-funk opener showing their love for the sunshine state once again whereas “All in Your Mind” works in a piano/boom bap instrumental talking about taking it all in stride. “Do It Like We” brings the funk influences back in the fold boasting that nobody can do shit on their level while “Would’ve Had a Hit” is a g-funk heavy stoner’s ballad. “Too Too Much” caps it all off with 1 final g-funk joint to play when you’re out in the weekends.

Continuing the G Pack saga in the 23 months since they initially Went Left, The Doppelgangaz once again shift away from the traditional boom bap style of the Groggy Pack Entertainment founders’ home turf in favor of drawing inspiration from the west coast scene once again embracing the g-funk production with ease & carrying over the original’s playful subject matter.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Tha God Fahim – “The Dumplorian” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim recruiting Mr. Skip to produce his 63rd EP. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records & being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He’s been putting out amongst his best material in the past few years like the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull, the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King series, the Oh No-produced Berserko, the Mike Shabb-produced Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth, Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. I don’t even have to mention the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga since the season finale’s coming soon, becoming The Dumplorian this 4th of July.

“No Limit” was a funky choice of an intro advising to stop if you can’t find the rhythm whereas “Mayor” fuses chipmunk soul & boom bap dividing everything into proportions so the whole family can eat. “Temptations” has a lavishly drumless vibe to the beat talking about being afraid of staying the same while “Duck Season” shifts over into chipmunk soul turf again having too many reasons to be killing this many mics.

Continuing the lo-fi sampling, “Giant” talks about being an outcast for pretty much his whole life referencing the Nintendo-owned Super Smash Bros. franchise leading into “Dump Gawd Theme Music” jazzily flexing that his rhyme massacres tend to occur without any reasoning. “Bueller” featuring Mr. Skip himself closes the EP with a remix to their first ever collaboration that Skip breathed new life into.

The Lethal Weapon trilogy has primarily been serving as breathers in the midst of the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap series & I can say the same with what Fahim does here on top of that. Mr. Skip approaches his production here like he’s a score using murky loops, soulful grit & cinematic energy front to back leaning towards that raw lo-fi aesthetic without sacrificing the musicality or message.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!