Che Noir – “The Color Chocolate 2” review

Here we have the 9th EP from Buffalo emcee/producer Che Noir. 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 recruiting Superior-produced Seeds of Babylon. Damn near 3 months to the day, The Color Chocolate 2 is kicking summer in full gear.

“Painting Class” was a drumless intro opting to give haters interventions instead of bars whereas “Buy vs. Sell” brings a self-produced boom bap instrumental in the fold talking about a woman who makes her every dime off crime. “Who’s the Greatest?” featuring eLZhi finds the 2 painting visions for the blind with intricate wordplay from both parties while “Show & Tell” featuring 7xvethegenius reunites the pair ahead of their collab effort in November to grind until they can’t anymore.

Starting the 2nd half, “Where You Go” takes a soulful route to the beat stripping the drums once again being colorblind to those showing her their true colors while “Blink Twice” talks making atheists pray on her downfall over a piano instrumental from Evidence. “Stories” expresses her frustration of being fed up with fake friends who never gave a fuck of what she wanted & the closer “New Beginning” remembers a late friend whose girl is carrying his child.

Pushing her lyrical prowess as well as her storytelling abilities & dexterity as a producer even further, Che Noir gets back on her bully shit with a sequel to The Color Chocolate 2 that I enjoy more than the predecessor from a year & a half ago. The sequel’s production is stronger than the original’s personally & I think there’s significantly more consistency within the guests’ performances.

Score: 4/5

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ScarLip – “Scarred B4 Fame” review

ScarLip is a 24 year old rapper & producer from Brooklyn, New York signing to Epic Records following the single “This is New York”. I on the other hand wasn’t introduced to her until she appeared on “Take ‘Em Out” off the Hip Hop 50, Vol. 2 EP that Swizz Beatz produced a couple years ago & began seeing the appeal in her music once “Blick” came out weeks after a couple of her fans were messaging me on social media last summer. To get THIS summer started, the Broken Child Entertainment founder’s preluding her debut album with a debut EP.

I didn’t mind “Pop That” featuring Lil Wayne as an intro bringing both of them together over a Rockwilder & Swizz Beatz instrumental to remind where you can find them if you need some weight whereas “Melanin” angrily talks about beefing with ghostwriters instead of other rappers. “Eastside” fuses trap & soul advising not to call her since she don’t need anyone leading into the mediocre New York drill collab “Fruity Pebbles” featuring TaTa.

“Could’ve Been Me” featuring Skilla Baby begins the final moments of Scarred B4 Fame with both of them keeping guns by their side asking what the plan is but after “Runaway Love” freestyles over the instrumental of the Ludacris track of the same name from Release Therapy, “Lord Please” sends off the EP fusing trap & gospel asking God to be easy on her.

Haven’t really consider myself the biggest fan of the New York drill scene other than the late Pop Smoke & right when I thought that subgenre was starting to fade out because nobody has really carried the torch since, hearing ScarLip for the past couple years had me hoping that she would capitalize on her potential with this EP & the results are mixed. I can certainly say the hunger’s there in her verses, although most of the guests’ performances & some of the instrumentals are 2 of the biggest criticisms I have with it.

Score: 2.5/5

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Dave East & Young Chris – “Fine Dining” review

Brand new collaborative EP between Harlem, New York emcee Dave East as well as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emcee Young Chris. The latter of whom gained notoriety as part of the State Property subgroup Young Gunz & the other broke out by landing a spot in the iconic 2016 XXL Freshman Class almost a decade ago. Both of these guys have collaborated with each other a couple times in the past & only 4 months after the From the Dirt Records founder linked with Ransom on The Final Call, he & Chris are going out for some Fine Dining.

“Pablo & Gunner” was a great single in my opinion from the back-&-forth delivery both parties employ to the boom bap instrumental whereas “Gemstars & Baggies” fuses jazz & trap together so they can talk about wanting to catch Ws as a way of rebounding from all the Ls they’ve previously took. “Kiss the Sky” takes it back to the basement representing a city where the skinny ones ride leading into “Ain’t Adding Up” airs out everyone who ain’t doing the math.

Elcamino provides the hook on the smooth pop rap cut “She’s Choosing” talking about getting high with women & having them lay on their chests while “We Won’t Stop” gets on the soulful boom bap tip once again refusing to pump the brakes & keep putting it on for their home state. “10 Toes Down” finds the pair needing a gallon of water each since the rap game so dry & “Get That $” dustily finishes with both of them chasing the paper.

Dave’s really been stepping it up with the collaborative projects this year because if you come to find yourself enjoying Fine Dining more than The Final Call, I wouldn’t even complain since Young Chris’ pen has always been as sharp as Peedi Crakk’s probably would’ve gotten a solo album on Roc-A-Fella Records after Prince of the Roc had the label not imploded on itself due to Dame Dash’s ego. You get more versatile production pulling from boom bap, jazz rap, trap & pop rap as opposed to the drumless chipmunk soul direction of The Final Call & both of them hone in on their chemistry together.

Score: 3.5/5

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Samara Cyn – “Backroads” review

Samara Cyn is a 26 year old rapper & singer from Murfreesboro, Tennessee beginning her career in 2019 after writing her first song. However, it wasn’t until last fall where her debut EP The Drive Home began to turn heads and catch people’s attention because of the way she fused alternative hip hop with neo-soul. She’s been landing features on Ray Vaughn’s most recent mixtape The Good, The Bad, The $1 Menu preceding his beef with Joey Bada$$ the following month as well as the new ovrkast. album While the Iron’s Hot a few weeks ago, coming off the latter with her 2nd EP.

“Summer’s Turning” was a woozy intro finding herself sweating often because she feels like the jig is up whereas “Pop n Olive” featuring Sherwyn takes a cloudy boom bap approach instrumentally trading verses back-&-forth about killing people. “hardheaded” offers a funkier vibe to the beat confronting society in 2025 & after the cloudy yet relatable “Bad Brain” talks about facing the anxieties & distractions of life, “Brand New Teeth” featuring Smino wraps up the EP with both of them talking about delusional pressure.

Receiving co-signs from Doechii & even Lauryn Hill bringing her out on stage after she started her set late like always, Samara faces the parts of herself she’s been denying & confronting them well enough to make a Drive Home follow-up that makes her realize her potential even more than she did 8 months ago taking a path to success that’s been rarely traveled. She’s hungrier than she was back in October & if she keeps purifying the style that made her popular to begin with, her full-length studio debut will only leave a mark on the industry bigger than this moment.

Score: 4/5

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Dro Kenji – “The End of Nothing” review

Dro Kenji is a 22 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Summerville, South Carolina signing to both Internet Money Records & 10K Projects not even 365 days after he began making music. He has since put out 7 full-length studio LPs along with an EP & a mixtape, the latter of which being his most recent body of work coinciding with Valentine’s Day departing from the emo pop rap style he’s known for in favor of rage. 4 months later, he’s preluding his 8th album with his 2nd EP & the 2nd body of work from him in 2025.

“Pinnochio” kicks off The End of Nothing with a moody pop rap/trap intro wanting his bae at 2am & telling her how much she inspires him whereas “Tylenol” moodily talks about his drug addiction helping him. “Way Back in August” works in some acoustics from Census, Nico Baran & Niketaz asking why he & his ex keep crossing paths when his life’s goin’ the hardest while the woozy “Rude Girl” finds himself obsessed with that exact type of woman. Lastly, the acoustic trap closer “Unstoppable” caps off the EP by telling an ex who constantly lies to get away from him.

The stylistic departure of Love Kills left a handful of Dro Kenji’s fans divided on it but thankfully if you’re one of those people who missed hearing him over the emo rap sound he came up off of mixed with pop rap & trap, you’re most likely gonna come away from The End of Nothing looking at it is the most enjoyable thing he’s done since Wish You Were Here & it may even raise your expectations for his next album. Even if that tape was a passable experimentation from my perspective, it’s always great to hear artists get back to the basics of what got them this far in the game & he does it with ease.

Score: 3.5/5

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3200 Tre – “Spin the Block” review

This is the 13th EP from Lansing, Michigan rapper 3200 Tre. Introducing himself on wax during the fall of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic had completely shut the world down, he has since built up his last dozen EPs along with the full-length debut Michigan Music & of course the sophomore effort 30ville all during the first half of this ongoing decade. Signing to Rio da Yung O.G.’s very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint M.I.N.E. Entertainment last summer however, Tre’s ready to Spin the Block only a couple months since 30ville.

“Mindset” hooks up a piano-based Detroit trap instrumental referencing the Warner Bros.-owned Mortal Kombat franchise & talking about becoming his niece’s backup after her dad was tragically taken too soon whereas “No Attention” expresses his love for bustin’ bricks to serve crackheads. “1 Man Army” blends these keys & 808s together talking about the off topic shit he says being sidebars until “Sound of Love” flips some strings to detail his love for hearing CashApp notifications.

The song “Mix It Up” incorporates a Detroit trap beat with prominent bass & pianos occasional talking about his preference of standing on shit because he’s a grown ass man while “Bigger Goals” discusses the importance of making his kids rich because of his heart being broken as it already is. “Navy Seal” ends the EP by hopping over a bell-woven Detroit trap instrumental talking about liking fiends because they helped him change is life.

Not even a month after his latest album, 3200 Tre continues this personal comeback he’s been on since January with what could possibly be my favorite of the 4 projects he’s done since Rio made him a part of the M.I.N.E roster & serving as another example of why he’s one of the hardest working artists in the city today. He’s carrying the verses by himself rather than having a few guests with him, which I’m fine with since it makes more room for him to get wittier with the pen than he has previously.

Score: 3.5/5

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EsDeeKid – “Rebel” review

This is the debut extended play from Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom rapper EsDeeKid. Making his debut on wax towards the backend 2023 on the Dualspines loosie “Altered”, he subsequently began to drop a slew of songs on his SoundCloud a few months later that would help him gain traction such as “Apathy” or “Palaces”. A great deal of the teasers building up towards Rebel have been considered to be his most celebrated material & had myself curious to hear if it would live up to the hype.

“4 Raws” featuring Timothée Chalamet on the remix combines hardcore hip hop, trap, Chicago drill, gangsta rap, cloud rap & wave talking about their own pasts whereas “Cali Man” featuring Rico Ace embraces the styles of jerk, gangsta rap & cloud rap discussing their preference of high quality weed. “Prague” works in some 808s to talk about leaving a show at the Czech Republic’s capital leading into “Dirty” expressing his love of sippin’ lean.

fakemink & Rico Ace appear on “LV Sandals” fusing jerk, cloud rap, gangsta rap & hardcore hip hop talking about hoes acting scandalous while “Panic” produced by Fimiguerrero explains that he won’t ever stop the racket since he’s always been a mad kid. Fimiguerrero himself gets his own solo track with “5am”, continuing the 2nd half blending jerk, cloud rap & rage referencing WWE Hall of Famer & former World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali.

“Phantom” featuring Rico Ace reunites for a jerk, hardcore hip hop, dark plugg, cloud rap & gangsta rap single talking about being blacked out while “Mist” also featuring Rico Ace finds the 2 teaming up 1 last time for a cloudy jerk joint detailing their lifestyles. “Rottweiler” could most likely be my least favorite track here mostly because of its structuring while “Tartan” featuring Fimiguerrero references the current 17-time WWE world champion John Cena.

Jerk has been becoming hip hop’s next big subgenre within the past couple years characterized by taking elements of both plugg & the late 2000s jerk rap fad during my early middle school days, but Rebel has to be the greatest body of work I’ve heard done primarily using this new style for only being an extended play on top of validating EsDeeKid’s increasing popularity across the world. He’s essentially flipping UK grime on its head through the added influences of both Playboi Carti & Yeat to the mix describing the debauchery in his life.

Score: 4/5

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Dabbla – “BLOTS” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee & Potent Funk Records co-founder Dabbla teaming up with local producer Ghosttown for his 2nd solo EP. Both of whom formed the Dead Players alongside Jam Baxter until Dabbla made his solo debut in 2016 off Year of the Monkey followed by the debut mixtape Chapsville under High Focus Records & the sophomore effort Death Moves respectively. Coming off Nobody as well as Bad Tuesday & G.W.O.A.T. (Greatest Wanker Of All-Time), it was intriguing to hear the LDZ & Problem Child member returning to High Focus with Ghosttown by his side throughout the duration of BLOTS ahead of Nino Bryant becoming the new RPW British Cruiserweight Champion this weekend.

“Shoosh” opens with what’s easily my favorite track here from the bassy trap beat to the rapid-fire flow & lyrics about being UK hip hop royalty whereas the 3rd & final single “Paper Boats” featuring PAV4N links the pair up to flex leveling up on some next shit. The 2nd single “Karate Good” featuring Dubbledge goes for a boom bap vibe instrumentally having both of them wishing a muhfucka would just before the lead single “Bang” featuring Tis Zombie spits that gun talk pulling from trap once again.

Succeeding the “My Guy” interlude, “Uh Oh” begins the 2nd half of BLOTS fusing trap & jazz rap explaining that the true meaning of boredom is when one’s lacking inner resources while “Yadda Yadda Yadda” featuring Smuj joins forces to talk about hearing a whole lotta bullshit out these people’s mouths. The closer “Nonsense” sends off the EP with him over a woodwind so he can take aim at those speaking in balderdash.

Chapsville still remains my favorite solo project Dabbla has ever made almost a decade later so when I heard Ghosttown was fully producing BLOTS, I was hoping for it would surpass Bad Tuesday in becoming the most celebrated extended play of the 2 we’ve gotten from him & I certainly did it enjoy it more than it’s 2022 predecessor by only a slight margin. My criticisms of this EP lie more with them overloading it with guest appearances for nearly every son, but I can respect Ghosttown’s chaotic trap production & Dabbz recapturing the spirit of his LDZ days.

Score: 3/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 14” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim releasing his 62nd EP over a week since the last one. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records as well as 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. Continuing the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap Rap saga, the dumpathon finds no end in sight with the 14th installment.

“Post Apocalyptic” sets off the EP with a laidback boom bap instrumentally talking about the state of the world especially with everything that happened in the Middle East last weekend whereas “No Traffic” heads for a chipmunk soul direction boasting that he’s in his own different lane when he’s not entirely wrong. “Warmonger” hooks up a drumless guitar instrumental to talk about living life like a gladiator while “The Work of 1,000” soulfully uses the element of surprise to fight his mental struggles.

Ru$h teams up with Fahim on “Megamen” like he did over a week ago for “Twisted Metal” letting it be known that there ain’t no 2nd chances when they make advancements to their styles leading into the atmospherically dusty “Olympic Weightlifters” talking about keeping a pump on him & looking to fulfill his destiny since this is our only opportunity alive. “Versace N Pepper Steak” rounds out the EP by hopping over a funk sample paying homage to the recently departed Sly Stone.

Noticeably less jazzier than the EP we got from him 8 days ago, Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 14 continues the historically unstoppable run Fahim & Craven have been on together since last fall. The latter’s production carries over the chipmunk soul, boom bap & drumless sounds that a vast majority of the series has been praised for from the get-go & Breadrick Douglas’ lyrics cut deeper than a samurai sword.

Score: 4.5/5

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Feardorian – “Out the Past With a Window” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper & producer Feardorian following up their eponymous debut solo EP with a 2nd EP commemorating their 19th birthday over 4 months since their full-length studio debut album Leaving Home. A prominent figure in the lowend as well as jerk & sample drill subgenres of hip hop, I first learned of them once they produced “T.M.U. (Turn Me Up)” off Pasto Flocco’s 2nd mixtape R.O.A.M. (Rich Off A Mic) & more recently Ritchie with a T’s recent solo EP Quiet Warp Xpress nearly 9 months ago. Coming off a production credit on the new Lørd Skø album PiFF earlier this spring, Out the Past with a Window has finally come out with a week left until summer begins.

“Backbone” is this psychedelic trap intro breaking down the difficulty of getting it when you grew up without a spine whereas “Fooling” flips “Fall Into You” by Soulstice for a sample drill vibe instrumentally feeling like they’re in heaven after getting fried after a show. “Snowed In” goes for a hazier direction with the beat talking about having to find their mind because they had lost it initially just before “Sit Tight (IRL)” tries to lift this curse on them laying back until the bands start flowing their way.

The downtempo flare of “Life Hack” was a dope change of pace feelin’ like they doesn’t want to live or be seen at certain points leading into “Trickster Spirits” gives off a more minimalistic tone talking about being content with their ex-girlfriend moving on from them & going against the grain so much that they ran off. “RBF” cloudily airs out a loser who’s hanging around too many yes-men because the life they’re living currently being Hell, but then “Fulton” featuring lade finds the pair talking about being in their zone & others biting their styles.

“4 Signs” gets the final leg of Out the Past with a Window started with another sample drill track looking to waste no time whatsoever touchin’ $1B & signing it on the spot while “Flame” hops over a bare guitar/vocal sample hoping they haven’t been a bother to anyone during the course of their life still ballin’ regardless. “Mutual Aid” featuring Prblem was a cool drill/cloud rap fusion linking up with each other to talk about still living even with their spirits passing on & “Worth (Junebug)” warns they might leave this bitch hurt despite that not being intentional.

Between this as well as self-titled & Leaving Home, the rising southern hip hop recording artist has really outdone themself by providing a celebration & slice of life on the very moment their 2nd official year of adulthood began & looking at what their 20s hold. Their production culminating in trap, cloud rap, sample drill, emo rap, jerk, downtempo, ambient plugg & experimental hip hop sticks out as amongst the strongest of their whole entire career & to hear them trying out new flows demonstrates their growth as a performer.

Score: 4/5

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