Brigid Bites – “Lil Tart” review

Davenport, Iowa rapper & dancer Brigid Bites coinciding the Gathering of Legends or the 25th annual Gathering of the Juggalos with her 4th EP. Creating the juggalette burlesque troupe in 2017 called Juggalesque, they’ve have since become a drawing attraction at the Gathering since then with her eventually joining Chapter 17 Records CEO/Psychopathic Records recording artist Ouija Macc on stage quite a few times since. However, she made a pretty solid introduction into the music world with Hatchet Girl & Pumpkin Spice respectively. She just dropped Hot Honey back in February during Juggalo Weekend & is following it up with Lil Tart.

The title track hops over a hip house instrumental to get things started talking about her shine being unstoppable whereas “Never Forget” takes a more industrial approach speaking to those thinking they could have a chance of avoiding her. “Neon Nightmare” combines hip hop & house music again comparing herself to a puppet master leading into “MCL (Mad Clown Luv)” showing her appreciation towards the juggalo family.

6 months to the day since Hot Honey marked Brigid Bites’ official return after a year & a half of not releasing a project, Lil Tart already reveals itself as my favorite EP of the 2 we’ve gotten from her this year. The production’s more experimental than what I’ve heard from her previously & ditching the trap sounds of her earlier material to emphasize the electronic influences a lot more prominently. Particularly hip house & even giving industrial hip hop a chance at the halfway point.

Score: 3.5/5

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Action Figure 973 – “Ring Psychology” review

Yes we have another EP & the 9th altogether from Belleville, New Jersey emcee/producer Action Figure 973. For a couple years already, his first 2 mixtapes followed by his last 8 EPs & the full-length studio debut DOOM Was Right merely 3 months ago giving flowers to one of my all-time personal favorite albums Madvillainy. The 3rd entry of the Dark Side of the Ring literally came out a couple weeks ago & is once more stepping in the squared circle to teach some Ring Psychology couple weeks succeeding former IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン as well as a 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions Brock Lesnar costing John Cena his record-breaking 17th WWE world championship reign at SummerSlam XXXVIII in favor of the now current & 2-time WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

“10 Bell Salute” commences with a reference to the current AEW tbs Champion, CMLL Mundial Femenil Campeon & RPW British Women’s Champion Mercedes Moné whereas “Ode to O-Solo” gives his flowers to a local battle rapper of the same name. “Execution” works in an orchestral sample to namedrop Adam Copeland, which I found to be noteworthy considered his & Christian Cage’s tag team reunion on AEW Dynamite the other day following The Patriarchy’s implosion leading into the drumless “Forever on the Griz” talking about doing a lot by himself.

Former アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, TNA Hall of Famer, WWE United States Champion 5-time WWE tag team champion & 26-time WWE Hardcore Champion Raven gets referenced on “‘95 Raven” as does former 2-time ECW World Television Champion, 4-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE tag team champion Dean Malenko during “Dean Malenko in WCW”. Last but not least, “WrestleMania Sunday” ends with him aggressively taking shots at the uncultured.

Less than 10 days away from Brodido consisting of The Crash’s longest reigning Pesocompleto Campeon in Bandido currently in his 2nd ROH World Championship reign & former AEW World Trios Champion Brody King known for his Abolish ICE shirts at Gland Slam VI dethroning The Hurt Syndicate’s reign as AEW World Tag Team Champions or record-tying 2-time IWGP 世界ヘビー級チャンピオン & The Mighty Don’t Kneel leader Zack Sabre Jr. defending his title against AEW Collision commentator Nigel McGuinness at Forbidden Door V, the underground’s new favorite luchador other than the Super Famous Fun Time Guys continues the most prolific year musically by dropping off a 15 minute EP filled with the raw boom bap production & hardcore lyrics filled with professional wrestling Easter eggs he’s become beloved for.

Score: 4/5

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1300SAINT – “NewDrug.” review

Here is the 4th EP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist 1300SAINT. Known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience, the heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his full-length debut Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual & led to Young Thug signing him to YSL Records not too long after he came home last Halloween. All Hail marked his debut for the label, preluding Savior with Saint Season as well as 4 & now New Drug.

“Worry ‘Bout Yours.” opens with a guitar & hi-hats pleading for the girl he’s seeing to not say that she loves him whereas “Bloodsucker.” talks about pulling up too way. “Set.” featuring ApolloRed1, Diorvsyou & Sk8star finds the quartet rocking out together for a monumental collaboration while “Kutta.” derives itself from some of Playboi Carti’s material. The song “Not @ All” talks about not going back to being broke & finally, “Pray2theLord.” made for a decent outro flexing that his success was all done his way.

1300 has already put out an album & 3 EPs since joining the YSL umbrella, but I found New Drug to be a slight improvement over the 4-pack we got from him earlier in the summer & whether we get Savior within the coming months or next year, I still enjoy everything he & 9 Vicious have put out more than Gunna’s final offering for the label last weekend. Production’s not as good as All Hail or Saint Season, but at least it’s more detailed than The Last Wun’s & the guest list is more consistent.

Score: 3.5/5

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Brennan Jones – “Brennan” review

This is the 2nd EP from Jacksonville, Florida recording artist Brennan Jones. Originally known as a fashion influencer on the Meta Platforms-owned Instagram social media platform, Edward Skeletrix would later inspire him to pursue a music career & released an eponymous debut EP 11 months ago to mixed results despite a couple standout tracks including “Crispy” & “wawawawawa”. However, I went into Brennan hoping he would capitalize on his full potential with more consistently brief musical opus the way his breakout single “Fashiontrappin'” did.

“in frontofmygranny” starts with a 97 second cloudy trap intro talking about pulling out a whole stack with his grandmother near him whereas “young & restless” promises to have crews hit if they dare fuck with him. “Brush It Off My Shoulder” dismisses the pressure surrounding him for the past year & after the cringey “she suck on the dick like a dick” line on “Fashion Shit” despite the nocturnal instrumental, “Lick Yo Tattoo” produced by Toom of Vanguard Music Group ends with Brennan talking about being the man.

As much as I want to like Brennan Jones’ newest extended play & the one we got from him almost a year ago because loose singles like “Affairs” or “Jewelry” still make fine examples of his artistic potential, Brennan isn’t that much better unfortunately & it’s a bigger disappointment when you take in consideration of him being independent now. The production is somehow a step down from the last project ditching the dark plugg, rage & experimental hip hop undertones in favor of conventional plugg & cloud rap with Brennan drowning so heavily in his influences to the point where it’s distracting.

Score: 2.5/5

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Roc Marciano – “The Coldest Profession” review

Long Island, New York emcee/producer Roc Marciano preluding his forthcoming 13th LP Criminal Jazz with a brand new EP. Beginning in the very late 90’s as a member of the Flipmode Squad, he then went solo in 2008 to drop classic albums that would pave the way for those like Griselda such as Marcberg & Reloaded. He would begin focusing on producing projects for other artists like Flee Lord & Bronze Nazareth following Mt. Marci & of course returning to enlist The Alchemist to produce The Elephant Man’s Bones & The Skeleton Key couple years apart from each other, both of which I gave perfect scores to. Once I heard one of my top 3 producers DJ Premier was fully producing The Coldest Profession, chances of it reaching the same caliber as those albums with Uncle Al were extremely high.

After the “Arrival” intro, the lead single “Armani Sections” was a fly boom bap opener staying freshly dressed whereas the final single “Prayer Hands” dustily talks about constantly being a thinkin’ man instead of wingin’ it. “Good to Go” gives off an eerier boom bap atmosphere lookin’ to leave people slumped over the steering wheel just before the funky “Glory Hole” talks about shooting holes in the wall with firearms.

The Coldest Profession’s final leg starts with “RocMarkable” hooking up another boom bap instrumental justifiably explaining that you can’t get the feeling of this music both these guys are making from any other narcotic in a ziplock that while “Travel Fox” talks about the numbers being unsolvable even if algebra was used to crack the code.

“Execution Style” finishes what could be a candidate for EP of the Year referencing the late アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Tag Team Champion, WCW World Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall.

Mass Appeal Records has already made it known Nas’ upcoming 18th album will be fully produced by DJ Premier before 2025 is over & as a warm up, the latter & Roc Marciano join forces for an immaculately crafted EP combining the Gang Starr beatsmith’s signature sound with Marci’s endlessly smooth lyrics portraying himself as the illustrious pimp we’ve come to know him as.

Score: 5/5

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Dro Kenji – “The End of Nothing 2” review

Summerville, South Carolina rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Dro Kenji is back for his 3rd EP. 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 a couple EPs & a mixtape. The End of Nothing earlier this summer marked a return to form after experimenting with rage beats & a sequel’s here 6 weeks later.

“Fade” made for an emo rap intro confessing to his lover that he feels as if his heart’s beating I it of frame & the fear of showing how he feels whereas “Stay Focused” finds himself maintaining his concentration asking if he does too much when he’s off the drugs. “Outlandish” talks about never leaving his romantic interest stranded & wanting her to fall in love while “Plug’s House” poses the question of his authenticity being legit or not.

The End of Nothing 2’s final leg starts with “Joggin’”, where Dro hops over a melancholic guitar with more hi-hats talking about running to the bread. “Hookup 4 Anything” looks to start a catastrophe with his partner & realizes he possibly knows her more strongly than himself prior to “Annoying” getting to the bottom of whether or not he’s aggravating her.

Dro Kenji’s previous EP at the beginning of the summer welcomingly took it back to his emo pop rap/trap roots after experimenting with rage beats on Valentine’s Day, but I came away from The End of Nothing 2 liking it only slightly less than I did the predecessor. He’s topically sticking to his bread & butter which isn’t a criticism, except the production on here compared to the original End of Nothing doesn’t catch my attention similarly.

Score: 3/5

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Timbo – “Perfect Imperfections” review

Timbo is a 26 year old rapper from Louisville, Kentucky notable for being the eldest son of Mobstyle Music founder Bukshot. The latter of whom you may be familiar with either through his solo material or his memberships with groups like The Underground Avengers, The Horde, The Berzerkers, Cabal & Double Dragon spanning in a nearly 3 decade career. Following his dad’s footsteps, none other than MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 has locked in with Timbo for the latter’s official debut EP.

“Silence” opens with a cloudy ratchet instrumental talking about being the type to refrain from wasting his time on some minimal bullshit whereas “Duck Down” throws it back to The Neptunes’ late 90s sound feeling like he’s had enough with all the questions getting thrown towards his direction. The jazzy trap crossover “Ordained” finds himself flexing that no one can fuck with him & the lo-fi “Cool Breeze” advises not to come at him unless it’s purposeful.

It’s a bit different in sound compared to what we’ve gotten out of Mobstyle Music for nearly 3 decades at this point, but Timbo’s inaugural body of work makes an impressive introduction as to who he is both artistically & personally dissecting his Perfect Imperfections over MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7’s expectedly detailed production carrying on his father’s legacy by coming to his own.

Score: 4/5

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Tezzus – “Backrooms” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus coming off his new Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso only a week ago to put out his 4th solo EP. 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. Another weekend later & Backrooms arrives merely hours following its announcement.

“Back” opens with a horn-laced trap instrumental fearing nobody talking because he rules whereas the rage-inducing “Rich Gang” takes a couple minutes to boast his wealth. “50 Cities 50 Nights” featuring Boofinesse works in some 808s to talk about only trusting the money leading into “10th Grade” goes for a hypertrap vibe again calling himself a Guitar Hero the way he rocks stages. “Øh My Gød” by the Uy Scuti Bøyz ends the EP with both of them suggesting for others to come to grips with their successes.

Continuing to prepare for his debut album & the sophomore effort done in the styles of R&B & phonk respectively, Tezzus diverts from the Søufside journey that was embarked on merely 7 days ago & releases a 5-pack clocking in at 11 minutes that’s still worth your time even if it it’s a minor step down from Tezzus Khrist. The production here ditches the secondary tread & plugg influences of his debut tape to focus more around trap & rage and the few guests do their job of keeping the same energy.

Score: 3.5/5

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Champtown – “Rocker at Heart” review

Champtown is a 52 year old MC, producer, DJ, film director & teacher from Detroit, Michigan known for his involvement in establishing a myriad of the city’s hip hop artists from Kid Rockto the Insane Clown Posse & even Eminem. His first couple EPs Call Me Joker & Check It! in the early/mid 90s would prelude his 1999 debut Now or Never N***a!, returning in 2016 for the sophomore effort Racial Profilin’ & almost another decade to release his 3rd EP executive produced by Body Count frontman Ice-T.

The title track is a rap rock intro with a hook reminiscent of old school hard rock talking about politics being wack as fuck to him & I have to agree with him as someone who enjoyed the South Park season 27 premiere couple weeks earlier whereas “Burn” carries over the rap rock vibes for an interpolation of “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps, which I prefer far more than the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion as well as the 2-time WCW World Television Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion of the same name.

“Hasbulla” aggressively references the Russian social media personality who signed a 5-year promotion contract with the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division UFC merely 12 months prior to them buying the WWE for $9.3B just before “We Dranking” moves forward with a rap rock song about consuming alcohol. “Jumpin’ for Eddie V” pays homage to the late Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen while “My Matrix” feels like an attempt at a throwback to 80s pop rock/synth-wave era.

Excluding the essential “What Color is Soul?” featuring Chaos Kid & Eminem taken from Now or Never N***a! reappearing to make it’s DSP debut, “W.A.G.D. (We All Gonna Die)” featuring Unko Jozee sends off the EP officially with a 6 minute outro remixing a rap rock with boom bap & trap talking about the color of one’s skin doesn’t matter because we’ll all meet our demise eventually with nothing to save you from it happening.

Only less than 10 days away from his performance at the 25th annual Gathering of the Juggalos or the Gathering of Legends, the Straight Jacket Records founder Champtown leans heavier towards a rap rock sound on Rocker at Heart compared to his previous material taking notes from The Rolling Stones of hip hop Public Enemy led by his mentor Chuck D to put his versatility front & center almost 4 decades in the game.

Score: 3.5/5

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Yeat – “Dangerous Summer” review

Portland, Oregon rapper Yeat elusively announcing his 7th EP earlier this week & it’s finally here. Emerging in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue $trips, he’s been dominating the mainstream since 2021 whether it be him dropping several projects or receiving cosigns from the likes of Drake & Earl Sweatshirt. He eventually signed to Geffen Records, who backed his sophomore effort albeit major label debut 2 Alivë & it’s companionable deluxe EP Gëek Pack shortly after. Coming off his 5th mixtape Lyfë a few summers ago alongside Aftërlyfe & the experimental Capitol Records debut 2093, he went back to his roots to rep the Lyfëstyle & has returned 10 months later for a Dangerous Summer.

“Put It Ong” produced by BNYX of Working on Dying hops over a vocal sample with some synthesizers & hi-hats flexing that he can make $1M in a week tops whereas “Loco” travels towards a rage-inducing direction thanks to Synthetic of Internet Money Records admitting that the money got him going insane. “Loose Leaf” finds himself talking about a woman who loves percs & pearls leading into “Oh I Did” featuring NGeeYL finds the pair refusing to even waste a minute.

Meanwhile on “Comë n Go”, we have Yeat over some quirky synths to tell a bitch to come out & show him exactly how thankful she is that he showed her his Lyfestylë just before “[ADL IS COMING]” preludes the man’s upcoming 6th LP A Dangerous Lyfë & A Dangerous Love. “I’m Yeat” was a fun west coast trap/rage single talking about the kind of guy he is while “M.F.U. (Middle Fingers Up)” featuring SahBabii finds the pair breaking down the way they live until the end.

“2Tone” featuring Don Toliver starts the last leg of Dangerous Summer going back-&-forth with one another over a futuristic beat thanking God for the times they used to pray for coming to fruition while “Fly Nitë” featuring FKA twigs serves as a duet wanting to proven why they shouldn’t leave each others’ sides tonight. Last but not least, “Growing Pains” finishes up the EP by talking about feeling as if he’s going insane.

Whether we get A Dangerous Lyfë & A Dangerous Love by the end of 2025 or at some point the following year, Yeat reunites with BNYX for a 34 minute precursor that’s less 1-dimensional regarding the production & bringing a menacing demeanor with only less than a couple months until fall begins. In terms of consistency from the guests, the last 2 features at the backend of it suit the vibes the Lyfestyle Corporation founder was going for.

Score: 4/5

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