Chris Webby – “88 Milligrams” review

Norwalk, Connecticut emcee Chris Webby tapping in with The Roots’ original keyboardist & former Aftermath Entertainment in-house producer Scott Storch for his 4th EP. Getting introduced to him during my senior year of high school when his full-length studio debut album Chemically Imbalanced under his own label 80HD Music in tandem with MNRK Music Group, he would go on to spend the late 2010s & the 2020s up until last Christmas doing the Wednesday series of mixtapes. 88 Milligrams linking up with one of my personal favorite producers had me thinking it was gonna be his finest extended play of his career.

After the “ASMR” intro, “Perfect Storm” begins the EP by pushing the hands on the doomsday clock over an instrumental that Scott Storch would’ve made in the 2000s during & succeeding his time with Aftermath whereas “In My Baggie” works in some pianos to talk about taking pills off the shelf at 12. “Put ‘Em High” cinematically cautions that no one wants to be a hero tonight while the trap-influenced “Running Scared” talks about playing the cards until they hit.

“Pyro” nears the end of 88 Milligrams with a beat throwing it back to either “Candy Shop” or “Just a Lil Bit” off of 50 Cent’s sophomore effort The Massacre celebrating it’s 2 decade anniversary earlier this spring talking about coming up in the spot to burn the place down leading into the cloudy “Rollercoaster” sending off the EP with Chris comparing life to a ride the way it goes up & down for roughly 5 & a half minutes.

As somebody who got introduced to him over a decade ago, Chris Webby has come a long way from his frat rap days in the past 15 years & 88 Milligrams comes right off the conclusion of the 80HD Music founder’s prolific Wednesday tapes with the most I’ve enjoyed his music in a while & easily his most cohesive EP on my opinion. Scott Storch’s production takes a nostalgic turn to when he was all over the airwaves as an opposed to adapting to modern sounds or techniques like having a producer tag on Dummy Boy & Chris gets in his baggie lyrically.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tezzus – “Tezzy Pendergrass” review

Here is the 7th EP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus. Introducing himself with his first few EPs Hard2Kill as well as Hellraiser & Everyday’s Halløween, his debut mixtape Tezzus Khrist last holiday season would significantly elevate his profile locally as did the handful of appearances he made on The XA Tape earlier this year. Coming off his new Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso as well as Backrooms & more recently King Phønk, we’re finally being tested to Tezzy Pendergrass a couple weeks following the I Phønk, U Phønk prelude.

“Gøtham Løve Støry” gets the EP going with a cloudy pop rap/trap intro confessing that he wants this woman’s affection & continuously making the money whereas “Permanently Stained” talks about shedding tears when looking back at how far he’s come. “Cadillac Whipping” produced by Feardorian flexes that he switches lanes more than his homies switch bitches leading into “Cøme Øn”, which is one of the more lyrically repetitive moments.

Yung Fazo links up with Tezzus on “High Fashiøn” giving a middle finger to the pigs confident that they won’t ever catch the 2 slipping just before “Main Høe” featuring Sk8star & tana finds the trio coming together for a cloudy pop rap/trap crossover talking about the way fame goes. “I See” expresses a desire for all of his opps to drop dead & thanking his mom for raising a star while the pluggy “Gangsta” featuring Pz’ talks about people doing shit for tends.

“By Yøu” starts the final leg of Tezzy Pendergrass heading for an atmospheric direction once again admitting that love never felt so real until he stood by the woman he had in mind writing this while “2night” advises the female she has in mind to stay away from snitches & that he stays strapped in the streets. I Løve U” appropriately sends off the EP by longing for his partner to be right beside him in bed.

Eschewing the rage subgenre of trap from a lot of his earlier material & more specifically the other 3 extended plays that he’s given us in the past 6-7 weeks or so, Tezzus puts his artistic range in the forefront for 25 minutes so he can reveal a sensual side to himself. It was a no brainer Tezzy Pendergrass would embrace a heavier pop rap vibe stylistically & the same goes for the romantic subject matter, but it feels authentically sincere rather than coming off as forced.

Score: 4/5

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Forgiato Blow & Stitches – “Make America White Again” review

Miami, Florida rappers Forgiato Blow & Stitches teaming up for a new collaborative EP. One of whom has been getting the same attention that the far-right has been giving Tom MacDonald these past several years & the other gained notoriety for beefing with The Game almost a decade ago this upcoming winter. These guys have crossed paths with one another a few times & are linking back up for one of the most tasteless music offerings of the year.

The title track is a grating trap opener endorsing white supremacy whereas “Pink Tusie” takes on the Detroit sound with some heavy bells talking about bringing the illegal drug cocktail to the function. “Chop ‘Em Down” rehashes the themes of the previous song vapidly portraying themselves as drug dealers while “Casino 1724” spews more delusional gangsta raps about how they be serving fiends

“Cocaine Cowboys” starts the 2nd leg of the EP by repping their titular statuses even if “it may not mean nothing to y’all” when they couldn’t be more right while “Get Money” borrows from the Detroit trap scene again insipidly talking about making paper. “Fidel” gloats of themselves selling bricks in Miami throughout the whole summer & “Plug Cried Tears” ends the torture by talking about never folding through their struggles.

Forgiato Blow already has some of the worst singles of this ongoing decade under his belt from “Boycott Target” or the most recent example being “Good vs. Evil” earlier this month & Stitches was the only bad thing about that “8 Ways to Die” single the Insane Clown Posse put out in 2019, but the crossover between both parties results in shameless promotion of fascism along with nationalism & white supremacy. None of which are acceptable or tolerated in hip hop culture.

Score: 0/5

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Ty Fontaine – “LOV3NDL13S” review

Maryland recording artist Ty Fontaine teaming up with Internet Money Records in-house producer Rio Leyva for his 10th EP. Coming up in 2019 off the strength of his debut EP Waiting on Ascension, he would go on to follow this up with the full-length debut We Ain’t the Same alongside a couple of mixtapes & 3 more EPs, the previous being The Revive preluding a sequel to his Internet Money-backed debut mixtape Ascension & Black Truck Life. He signed to MNRK Music Group for his 7th EP 264 & more specifically Ascension 2, tapping in with one of his former label’s biggest beatsmiths for LOV3NDL13S.

“O V E R L Y – G O I N” is a bit of a hyper intro to the EP talking about his girl going stupid & calling him fine shit quickly whereas Fuk! Type! Shi! U! On! Bih?” desires legitimacy from his partner from the best to the worst. “I Shouldn’t Be Here” talks about finding him in places he’s not to supposed be while “b o d y tlk” if you couldn’t tell takes on the theme of intercourse. “errythang” finishes LOV3NDLI3S by explaining that everything becomes easier when it comes to his lover.

Somehow someway, LOV3NDLI3S manages to raise the bar higher than Ty Fontaine did on Ascension & Ascension 2 moving Virtual World to the side for his finest extended play as well as becoming quite possibly my newest favorite entry in his whole entire discography. Rio Leyva’s production is a lot more detailed than some of the previous material we’ve gotten from Ty in recent years & it’s what he needed for some time already.

Score: 4.5/5

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Miz Korona – “…I Forgive Me” review

Detroit, Michigan emcee/producer Miz Korona returning after 3 & a half years with her 3rd EP. Releasing her debut album The Injection in 2010 produced by Chanes, she would return a decade later dropping her first EP The Virus during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic followed by The Healer & The Heartbreaker approximately 24 months later. Coinciding with her born day however, she’s releasing …I Forgive Me on her Bandcamp almost entirely producing the whole thing by herself except for the halfway point.

“Echoes of My Heart” featuring Neco Redd takes 3 & a half minutes to give everybody glimpses of their hearts real quick over a summery guitar instrumental whereas the title track asks God for self-forgiveness. “Space” takes the boom bap route stylistically feeling like she’s flying in a spaceship while “Last Goodbye” soulfully gets in her storytelling bag.

I felt threat “Melody of the Sun” was a highlight even for a single coming right out the gate back in her lane over more boom bap production & “Weather the Storm” featuring Na Bonsai & Neco Redd finishes with a stylistic departure from hip hop in favor over singing about nobody else being able to hold you down except yourself.

Said to be releasing a sequel EP called Travel in Peace dedicated to her mother later this weekend, Miz Korona celebrates her birthday with a more introspective side to herself than some of her previous material guaranteed to take itself further on Sunday & her growth as a producer since she made her first beat in the summer of 2021 is another key takeaway from it.

Score: 4/5

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The Musalini & Wais P – “Choose or Lose” review

This is a brand new collaborative EP between from New York emcees The Musalini & Wais P entirely produced by Boston veteran Statik Selektah. One of whom has been signed to Jamla Records for the past few years now recently releasing a sequel to Pure Izm produced by Khrysis & the other also put out an EP with Khrysis last year called Hocaine. We’ve only heard them together once on a Planet Asia single last summer, so them uniting on Choose or Lose was exciting as a fan of Mu$ & Statik.

“Can a Player Live?” featuring Izzy Hott kicks it all off with a bluesy boom bap instrumental talking about forever gliding with no roadblocks of any kind in sight whereas “Return of the Mack” goes for an orchestrally dusty vibe to take us through the perspective of pimps. “How to Knocka” shows listeners the proper way to knock a bitch down keeping it in the basement instrumentally just before “Live in the Flesh” silkily takes about bringing it live & direct.

To get the 2nd half started, “4 Real” featuring Planet Asia clarifies that you’re fucking with 3 of the best MCs out currently maintaining a raw boom bap edge leading into the synthesizer heavy “Cashmere Coast” also featuring Planet Asia once again flexing that they’re dead nice. “Sake Bombs” brings some refreshing organs into the fold talking about their statuses being already solidified & “Pimpin’ Saved” ends with a warning that Mu$’ next LP could possibly get him banned.

If fans of either or have ever wondered what The Musalini & Wais P would sound like doing a whole entire body of work with one another, Choose or Lose collides both worlds with one another over rich boom bap production from the Showoff Records founder himself Statik Selektah to offer the player protocol of running to the game instead of running away from it.

Score: 4/5

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Quest Mcody – “Smoker’s Alley” review

Detroit, Michigan battle rapper, poet, actor & filmmaker Quest Mcody releasing a brand new EP. Notable for being the right hand man to Marv Won of the world famous Fat Killahz, he would goon to release both installments of the Ctrl+Alt+Delete mixtape series along with the King Cody & The Conquest tapes & his full-length debut The Light Project. A sophomore effort followed in 2018 called Th3 Gospel & is taking everyone down to Smoker’s Alley.

“I Just Wanna Smoke” makes for a cloudy trap intro talking about wanting to inhale some of that good kush whereas “Safe” goes for a soulful boom bap route instrumentally taking shots at those selling drugs to only include it in their raps. The self-produced “Duly Noted” expresses his desire to be quoted when he’s gone leading into “Seems Like It” talking about sinking the ship for showboating.

The song “Covered” starts the final leg of Smoker’s Alley on a cloudy drumless vibe flexing that he’s got money all over him while “Pray for the Prey” works in a reversed sample from Quest himself thanking his mom for the blessings & apologizing for making her stress. “Bring You Back” finished up the EP with Marv’s hype man looking at old pictures reminiscing over someone who can’t be here with him anymore.

Keeping my fingers crossed that we don’t have to wait very long for Quest Mcody to put out another body of work because I’d put him in the same ranks as his partner in rhyme when it comes to the battle rap scene & even with Smoker’s Alley hitting harder if you’re a stoner like myself, nonsmokers will even come away from this EP impressed by the production & sharp lyricism that has already established the seasoned Detroit native.

Score: 4/5

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Read the PDF – “Listen, It’s Too Late. The Jig’s Up!” review

Read the PDF is an MC/production trio consisting of mR. pOrTeR, Focus… & Dem Jointz. One of whom is Eminem’s current hypeman originally known as Kon Artis of D12 & the other 2 are known for being in-house producers for the Quincy Jones of hip hop Dr. Dre’s very own Interscope Records imprint Aftermath Entertainment. dEnAuN would eventually become an in-house producer for the label & some point, releasing their debut EP a year after their full-length studio debut By the Time You Look Up N.C. What We Doin’.

“Listen” starts with a hardcore hip hop intro with incredibly sequenced beat switches from all 3 members basically hopping over their own instrumentals dismantling their opponents whereas “It’s Too Late” finds the trio talking about how 2026’s gonna be different for them. “The Jig’s Up” wraps up Read the PDF’s inaugural EP with them taking shots at those tricking them structures similarly to the opener.

Listen, It’s Too Late. The Jig’s Up! finds each member creating their own individual sonic universes & merging them together onto a single track for a rawly authentic 3-song hip hop EP becoming a uniquely conceptual meeting of 3 visions from a group of Aftermath Entertainment in-house producers who all have their own different experiences in the past as MCs.

Score: 4/5

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Che Noir – “No Validation” review

Buffalo emcee/producer Che Noir staying busy with her 10th EP. Discovering her after 38 Spesh signed Che to TCF Music Group & fully produced her first 3 EPs, her Apollo Brown-produced full-length debut As God Intended & then her self-produced 4th EP After 12 during the 2nd half of 2020 was where her potential began to blossom exponentially. She has since followed this up with the sophomore effort Food for Thought as well as The Last Remnants, the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced Noir or Never, The Color Chocolate, The Lotus Child & the Superior-produced Seeds of Babylon. The Color Chocolate 2 kicked summer off in full gear a couple months ago with a sequel that I liked more than the original & needs No Validation at this point.

“Incense Burning” kicks it all off with an angelic boom bap instrumental from The Other Guys feeling like she’s finally found her tempo whereas the jazzily dusty “Smooth Jazz” featuring 38 Spesh talks about their self-education regulating their street abilities. “Sugar Water” keeps the jazzy boom bap vibes going to speak on the real ones rising while “Moroccan Mint” featuring Jae Skeese talks about never folding because of the wisdom they teach.

Ransom & Skyzoo join Che on the crooning “Katastwof” explaining that it ain’t really a journey if there’s no specific destination intended leading into “Dollar Tree” featuring Skyzoo & Von Pea talking about having it all despite not needing much. “Ego Trips” keeps it in the basement instrumental not having it because she controls her destiny & “Susie” featuring Smoke DZA talks about a woman acting like the character from the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Nickelodeon series Rugrats.

Making a mission statement for those who know what they bring to the table with or without applause, Che Noir & the curated lineup of elite lyricists that joins her side navigate themes of legacy as well as resilience & self-worth over the soulfully signature analog rich production style that Mighty Joe & Isaiah or The Other Guys have become known for with each guest MC adding their own signature flavor to the Poetic Movement Records founder’s reflective world.

Score: 4.5/5

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Rakim – “The Re-Up” review

This is the 2nd EP from pioneering Long Island, New York emcee/producer Rakim. Notable for being 1/2 of the seminal golden age duo Eric B. & Rakim, they put out 4 classic albums together from the mid-80s to the early 90s, with their debut Paid in Full & the sophomore effort Follow the Leader laying out the groundwork for future generations of hip hop to come. Kid Wizard eventually went solo in late ‘97 signing to Universal Music Group for an acclaimed debut The 18th Letter & the follow-up The Master while not as acclaimed still received positive feedback. Reception to The 7th Seal a decade after The Master was more mixed due to the lackluster production although the lyricism was certainly praised & G.O.Ds Network (REB7RTH) was a step in the right direction despite the heavy features, but Big Ghost Ltd. producing 2 new tracks on The Re-Up minus the 7 remixes raised my expectations greatly as a fan of both him & The God.

“I’m Good” makes for the only track of the 2 piece that doesn’t have a guest on it, but The God still delivers on the mic nonetheless over a boom bap instrumental from none other than the The Hands of Zeus himself whereas the final song consisting of brand new material & it’s sole single “Not to Be Defined” featuring Lazarus is also the sole moment that Big Ghost didn’t produce, leading it up to Dem Jointz showing the rhythm of the souls in both lyricists’ hearts.

I’m only gonna rate this purely based on the short batch of material that we got from The Re-Up because 1 thing that I wanna make clear is that the 5 remixes from G.O.Ds Network (REB7RTH) rival the original versions from the previous EP that I prefer more since that was all new material. Nevertheless, I still believe that the 3 newly recorded cuts are worth mentioning because they continue to exemplify that Rakim is still The God almost 4 decades later. G.O.Ds Network (REB7RTH) 2 has been said to have lesser guests than the predecessor & if that’s true, it could be on The 18th Letter caliber.

Score: 3.5/5

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