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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WTM Solid – “Touropean” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper WTM Solid releasing his 6th EP. A member of the WRLD Tour Mafia, he also embarked on a solo career of his own beginning a few years back with the debut EP Originatour followed by both Matter of Time & What’s the Difference?. Bigg as well as the full-length studio debut album Imagine That at the start of this year elevated himself as an individual amongst the rest of WRLD Tour, following up Killa $eason by taking us through the day of a life of a Touropean.

“Black Eminem” opens with some horns & 808s asking if you’re with it or not so can make sure of it whereas “Better Than Yesterday” carries over the Detroit sound to talk about grabbing whatever he wants when he goes shopping. “Emote :p” has a bit of a hazier vibe instrumentally flexing that the gang never goes out of bonds just before “Aggravated <:” vents about how we haven’t seen him at his best yet.

As for “Kash Doll Skirt”, we have Solid going for a cloudier Detroit trap vibe thanks to WTM Niketech talking about having nothing left to prove at this point in his career leading into “Crucified +” advises those hitting the road for the first time to strap up from another country. “Japan in Paris” talks about running out of paper more than hoes & not letting money change you while “‘25 Finals MVP” shows love to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“Support > Hate” winds the clock down regarding the 4th quarter of Touropean with a cloudy Detroit sound courtesy of WTM Miles feeling like Bruce Wayne from the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment-owned Batman franchise whenever he logs into his bank account & “Break My Arms, Break My Legs” finishes the EP continuing to shed Blood, Sweat & Tours for this shit.

Inspired by spending the last month overseas, WTM Solid comes over 4 weeks after Money Man Miles saved the rap game & the road once he took up the Shortstop position by cooking up an EP that’s only 8 minutes longer than the last one he put out earlier this summer repping the motor city whilst living the WRLD Tour life over in Europe.

Score: 4/5

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Skepta – “Skepta .. Fred” review

London, England, United Kingdom rapper, songwriter & producer Skepta teaming up with local producer Fred again.. for his 3rd EP. A co-founder the Boy Better Know collective, a lot of people in the state including myself didn’t hop on board with him until almost a decade ago when he dropped his 4th album Konnichiwa to critical acclaim. This was followed up a couple years back with both Ignorance is Bliss & All In being welcomed to moderate reception, but the Skepta .. Fred singles had me anticipating this much more.

“Back 2 Back” fuses grime & dubstep together so he can talk about the recognition he’s gotten throughout his career whereas “London” carries over the styles of the previous track preferring to play the villain than the victim. “Last 1s Left” turns the dubstep influences up to talk about being the last of a dying breed while the soulful “21 Years” reflects on these past couple decades. “Victory Lap” co-produced by PlaqueBoyMax ends with a nod to the local community platform of the same name.

Both teasers that we’ve gotten these past few months confirms the speculation I had regarding Skepta doing a whole EP with Fred again.. & as I would’ve thought, it reveals itself to be the most cutting edge project he’s put out since Konnichiwa celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary next spring. Fred’s production plays well into the Boy Better Know co-founder’s grime style that he helped lay out the foundation for & simultaneously places electronic dance music as a secondary influence.

Score: 4.5/5

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Merlyn Wood – “Velvet” review

Merlyn Wood is a 29 year old Ghanaian-American rapper & songwriter born in Accra, Ghana, Africa & raised in Texas known for being a member of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective. He also has a couple EPs under his belt with Teen Virgyn & Dirty Thunder, both of which where released to mixed reception as was Ameerlyn’s debut EP Slime in the Ice Machine under Blacksmith Recordings. Almost 23 months since Dirty Thunder, the Ol’ Dirty Bastard of the best boyband since 1 Direction is back by himself for his 3rd EP.

“Peace” was a stripped back choice of an intro singing over acoustics to ask when things are gonna get easier for him whereas “Ashes” embraces more of a pop rap/trap vibe talking about watching the crazy world we live in burn down. “Eater” pulls a bit of inspiration from rap rock for a description of those exact type of women & after “Nympho” continues to rap about lustful themes over a cloudy instrumental, “Backseat” finishes up with a trap outro getting down to business in the back of a car.

Dirty Thunder has gotta be my least favorite EP of the 3 that we have in the Merlyn Wood solo discography thus far, but Velvet’s the most versatile he’s sounded by himself since Teen Virgyn & a cut above that alongside it’s successor for his best solo material. The pop rap & cloud rap styles of that introductory EP are reincorporated fluidly except the secondary influences of wonky, alt-pop & alternative R&B are being replaced with the trap sounds of it’s follow-up along with rap rock & singer/songwriter.

Score: 3.5/5

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Chip Fu – “The Beginning of the Reckoning” review

Brooklyn, New York veteran Chip Fu putting his debut solo EP up on all streaming platforms after making it exclusive to EVEN for a short period of time. A member of the Fu-Schnickens, he put out a solo mixtape of his own 15 years earlier called Stop Playing & the sequel roughly 32 months later. The Beginning of the Reckoning dropped exclusively on EVEN at the very beginning of the month, but has now become available on all streaming platforms regardless of whichever one you prefer to use.

After the intro, the first song “Me” produced by Blizzard opens with a soulful boom bap instrumental & Chip taking 113 seconds to kick his speedy flows into full gear whereas “Levels” keeps chopping up more vocal samples to talk about life being similar to that of an elevator. “Thousandz & Hundredz” finishes the EP with a boom bap/reggae crossover blending intricate rhyme schemes with a chopper flow.

Continuing to innovate & elevate hip hop over 3 decades deep into the game The Beginning of the Reckoning regardless of it’s brevity powerfully showcases Chip Fu’s lyrical mastery & depth in superior ways than either Stop Playing or Stop Playing 2 did making considerable improvements in the production department of things from those early tapes.

Score: 4/5

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Tezzus – “I Phønk, U Phønk” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus ending August with his 3rd EP of the month & his 6th altogether. 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, he’s preluding his upcoming blues project by dropping I Phønk, U Phønk exclusively on SoundCloud.

“Who” featuring Baby Osama opens with a rage instrumental from tana talking about their partners calling them to come back home whereas “Woo” gives off an eerie trap vibe to assure that he’s coming for throats. “Lucid Dreams” fuses hypertrap & phonk so he can talk about the realistic dreams he’s been having of fucking this bitch leading into “Heartbreak King” rounds out the EP by dabbling with chopped & screwed.

Only less than 3 weeks away from his said blues project, Tezzus decides to experiment with sounds for a good 9 minutes venturing out from the both of rage & phonk styles he blew up off of to incorporate elements of standard trap along with chopped & screwed. For only 4 songs, it’s still a worthy testament to his bold artistry & knack for going outside of the box.

Score: 3.5/5

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