Smiley – “Never Box Me In” review

This is the 3rd EP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada rapper Smiley. Beginning as a member of the Garden Gang, he would go on to drop his debut mixtape Buy or Bye in the spring of 2018 followed by 2 EPs & even a couple more tapes before local superstar Drake signed him to OVO Sound a little over 3 years ago already. As for his OVO debut Buy or Bye 2, it didn’t really do all that much in catching my interest or standing out enough to the point where I’d go back to it & I Did What I Did wasn’t doing any favors. In spite of Kendrick Lamar performing last night & tonight in the label’s city, Smiley’s advising to Don’t Box Me In.

“Budge” wasn’t that good of a single bragging over a piano-trap instrumental that his trap house was doing the same numbers as the NFL when I doubt that whereas “6SideKids” cloudily talks about feeling bored on tour. “2 Mazza” featuring Drake has gotta be one of the more salvageable moments on the EP from the Boi-1da beat to even Smiley’s mentor barely outperforming him leading into the atmospheric “Kept Snowin’” tediously speaking on the racks making him feel good.

Why G pops up on “Trapman” for a subpar trap collab prior to Icewear Vezzo saving the best feature on the EP for “Money Feen” talking about their overly obsessive desire for money. “Big Dog” featuring Baka Not Nice whose weird case still makes people wonder why he’s around takes a nosedive again hilariously referring to themselves as bosses & after “Wave the Flag” adds insult to injury talking about not making it worse since he learned from the best, Pooh Beatz samples Sean Leon during “Spill the Tell” until Smiley derails it by making them “put out your hand like Wii”.

“Bob Curry” cloudily starts the deluxe run boldly asks if anybody wants smoke when the guy who have him a deal’s still taking Ls while “Oliver North” continues with a comatose tribute to his city. “Ratchet Baby” featuring Roy Wood$ finds the 2 talking about preferring some nastiness in their women while “Faddah” pleads for all the time he’s lost to come back when that isn’t happening. The final bonus track “Not a Fan” ends the EP with him talking about being a “guyser” whatever that means.

Last summer, it was mentioned when I had reviewed I Did What I Did that Smiley was by far the weakest link compared to the rest of the OVO roster & Don’t Box Me In solidifies that even further. I appreciate the fact he wanted to go for a different direction compared to his earlier material, but that doesn’t mean I found a lot of his performances boring compared to almost half of the guests on top of the production for a good run of the 36 minutes coming off as mostly uninteresting.

Score: 1.5/5

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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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Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 13” review

Another EP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim & the 2nd in less than a week, marking the 61st in his discography. 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 output that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He’s been releasing 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. He just had Drega33 produce Lethal Weapon 3 this past Friday & returning with the 13th entry in the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga.

“Render Punishment” is this piano-boom bap intro talking about gaining a piece of mind surviving in these current times of protest in Los Angeles whereas the soulful “Twisted Metal” featuring Ru$h homages the video game franchise TV adaption with it’s upcoming 2nd season on the Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBCUniversal-owned peacock & the franchise’s mascot being played by former AEW World Champion & 2-time AEW TNT Champion Samoa Joe of the current AEW World Trios Champions The Opps.

The drums get stripped on “Hold the Throne” catching bodies in the studios & feeling ungodly maintaining a chipmunk soul vibe just before “Smoke in Mirrors” continues the drumless sampling to talk about profit being essential to his mental being. “Brand New” hooks ups a crooning sample chop looking to boomerang interest in his opps leading into the jazzy “It’s Automatic” boasting about his raps being cinematic.

“I’m Leavin with Sum” lastly wraps up the EP leveling up his rhyme schemes a couple notches notable when starts by referencing being wittier than Michael Scofield from Prison Break on the Fox Corporation’s flagship property & leavin’ enemies with their throats slit during the final seconds giving the wisdom of preferring a 9-5 instead of going broke. Couldn’t forget to mention the spoken word outro where he touches on always getting to himself something.

Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 13 is a lot like the predecessor in terms of the jazzy, boom bap & drumless production except it’s not another Jay NiCE collaborative effort & maybe the most I’ve enjoyed an EP in the series since Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 10 because of the performances Fahim handles by himself for most of it. Wouldn’t surprise me if he does a collab EP with Ru$h because I’d actually welcome it if that is in fact planned at any point.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Lethal Weapon 3” review

This is the 60th EP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim. 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 Vocabularyproduced by Cartune Beatz. He & Jay NiCE linked for their 2nd collab EP Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12 last weekend & Drega33’s back to produce Lethal Weapon 3.

“Against the Grain” was a piano-driven boom bap intro talking about contrasting the natural inclination to slay wack rappers by the boatload whereas the soulful “Caught My Eye” became an unexpected yet welcoming turn of things getting in his sensual bag lyrically. “Free Speech” embraces a heavily jazzier sound showing gratitude he’s still alive by the ocean side while “Carnage” gets back on the chipmunk soul tip telling us how he lives.

The song “DNA” gets the ball rollin’ on the final 10 minutes of Lethal Weapon 3 fusing chipmunk soul & jazz rap into 1 talking about being supernatural while “Foot the Bill” talks about watching these chumps squeal in their own blood. “Each Passing Day” heads for a chipmunk soul direction once again suggesting opposites detaching as much as they attract & the crooning outro “Championship Status” talks about the proper steps it takes to become a champion.

Compared to both its predecessor, the trilogy chapter in the Lethal Weapon saga preludes Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 13with the most detailed entry of the series. Drega33’s production is more jazzier than Lethal Weapon 2, harking back to the original Lethal Weapon except he’s meshing it with chipmunk soul to backdrop a deadlier Fahim.

Score: 4/5

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Beannskii – “Green Bean” review

Here is the 3rd studio LP from Michigan rapper Beannskii. Following his 2023 studio debut Geek Up!, revered Detroit trap trio the ShittyBoyz would catch wind of him & make him a member of their Dog $hit Militia collective signed to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records putting out his sophomore effort Beanjamin Franklin last Black Friday weekend. Coming off MJPaid & Fordio’s respective full-length debuts Paid Ponzi & Fordi Milligrams, the Green Bean seeks to continue the D$M squad’s run they’ve been on from the start of 2025 taking the plate at 3rd.

The intro begins with a Detroit trap instrumental showing off some occasional bells talking about people runnin’ they mouth on social media & hiding their tails afterwards whereas “Ball Game” incorporates some horns wishing death on anybody who clique up with his team’s opposition. “D$M” works in some pianos & 808s to talk about his crew for a minute & a half while “Wizard of Turkey Bags” favors of hitting targets instead of innocents.

“Barking” hits the grey hound the second he re-ups aiming for the face rather than going with a chest shot just before “All Hail Bean¡” brings a lowend beat from Certified Trapper with creatively chopped sample into the fold except the vocal mixing feels a little off. “Where Would I Be??” relies heavier on the bells telling everyone who be sending death threats to pull up on him leading into “Food Fight” featuring Ftos Twan talking about walking by shooting at y’all if they can’t get a ride.

Meanwhile on “Lost My Marbles”, we have Beann sliding off pucks as if he’s in the middle of a hockey game while “Hamas” talks about being in the bushes for so long that he got mosquito bites. “Tavon Austin” discusses being known for throwing back shots without any duckin’ or dodgin’ & promising you won’t take what’s his, but then “Don Don” talks about letting the stick fire off if they try to box him in on top of trying to get his pill addiction under control.

“Jolly Bean” lets the bells ring once more & sampling “How to Save a Life” by The Fray dumpin’ all the bodies he’s catchin’ in his backyard while “Kankakee” talks about sweeping those running from them off their feet. “Swanton Bombing” finds Beann pulling off the finishing move of the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy of The Hardy Boyz while “Alone” addresses his habits of treating pills like Tic Tacs.

The orchestral sample on “Let Me Be” speaks of having no fear in him after seeing & going through it all during his lifetime in addition to his pleas for help going ignored while “Poltergeist” talks about spinning the block all day like a fidget. The outro concludes Green Bean with a regalia/Detroit trap crossover boasting that he’s pouring wine into his pop to the point where it turns into Grape Welch.

Beanjamin Franklin found Beannskii elevating himself from his debut the previous year & on Green Bean, it extends the back-to-back run that the Dog $hit Militia members have been on widely introducing & establishing themselves as individuals. Yes I’m aware of this being his 2nd offering since joining the collective however, there wasn’t a whole lot to the guests that I found interesting or much exciting compared to the main performer.

Score: 3.5/5

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9 Vicious – “B4FN” review

The newest YSL Records signee 9 Vicious coming straight outta Atlanta, Georgia preluding his upcoming 3rd album For Nothing with a new EP. Breaking out last summer off his debut single “U Fancy”, he would go on to further introduce himself on B4SA & the debut album Studio Addict helped him gain more exposure to the point where Young Thug signed him to YSL after B4TM dropped & Tumblr Music wasn’t that bad of a debut for the label other than “Clout Demons”. Over a couple months later, B4FN gives a taste of what the LP’s gonna be.

“So For Nothing” was a delicate trap intro produced by 406ahmad looking back on when he was suicidal during his college days & having to read the Bible after putting his trust in God whereas “I Miss You” cloudily talks about missing his ex. “Movin’ On” works in a plugg instrumental finding himself not looking back on his previous flings while “Fuck Yo Gang” with Patrick Garza talks about these opposing “gangs” ain’t being shit. “Me N Slime” flexes that he & the whole squad stay stealing hoes until “A Song” finishes with a 2-parter asking why his partner’s love is this crazy.

Putting the “Clout Demons” controversy aside, 9 Vicious’ popularity in the trap underground has grown enough to the point where he & Opium’s newest signing ApolloRed1 are putting out a collab tape soon called YVLFN. But if For Nothing is gonna sound anything remotely like B4FN, it could really reach or surpass Studio Addict in his discography. What he delivers here is a mix of that debut & The Life of Pablo.

Score: 4/5

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WTM Solid – “Killa $eason” review

This is the surprise 5th EP from Detroit rapper WTM Solid. 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?. His previous EP Bigg a little over 13 months ago as well as the subsequent full-length studio debut album Imagine That at the start of this year elevated himself as an individual amongst the rest of WRLD Tour, making a return 4 months later in time for Killa $eason.

“Honda or Ferrari?” gets the ball rollin’ with a Detroit trap intro produced by Carlo Anthony unnaturally talking about seeing goats whenever he looks at himself in the mirror & after the title track homages the former Dipset leader & current It Is What It Is co-host Cam’ron, the song “Different Town” humorously asks for the pronouns of these bitch ass dudes hating.

Starting the 2nd half, “Hate When Girls Die” dabbles with plugg a little interestingly promising you want see any snakes around him since he cut the grass with a chopped & screwed effect on his vocals until “$.A.$.R. ($uper Awesome $uper Rich)” creates a new acronym using the Slam A Slut Records initials. Finally, the close “Ws in the Chat” finishes the EP comparing bystanders to cops due to the way they be on his dick.

In an effort to make a point that he can make a whole 6 track EP better than most Detroit trap rappers’ whole entire careers, Killa $eason takes Solid’s penmanship even farther than he did on Imagine This when that initially dropped 4 months ago. I didn’t really expect a whole lot in terms of production since he & the rest of Slam A Slut are pretty well known in Detroit trap, but he really sharpens himself lyrically & keeps making his case of what makes him stand out out individually compared to the rest of the group.

Score: 3.5/5

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Hexxx – “Suerte” review

Los Angeles, California emcee Hexxx making a comeback after 2 years with his 3rd EP. First emerging in the underground back in the fall of 2016 off his debut EP Samhain, he would go on to follow it up 3 years later with his 2nd EP West Coast Wicked Shit prior to his full-length debut studio album Demon Season & the sophomore effort Tales of a Cursed G becoming west coast wicked shit classics in their own rights. 22 months have passed & he’s putting out Suerte without any warning preluding his upcoming 3rd LP. Also in time for the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s upcoming Worlds Collide V event with their new subsidiary Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) purchased from the Peña–Roldán family last month featuring performers from their Anthem Sports & Entertainment-owned partner promotion Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. Hoping that the 2nd reign of the longest reigning AAA Mega Campeon El Hijo del Vikingo doesn’t get ended so quickly by the current WWE Speed Champion Chad Gable over a week after former 2-time NXT Champion & NXT North American Champion Trick Williams became the new TNA World Champion shockingly ending Joe Hendry’s reign.

“High Noon” was a Memphis/trap intro with some lyrical content built upon the gangsta lifestyle Hexxx has made a name of himself off of whereas “Payback” works in a trap instrumental with a vocal sample to talk about the concept of revenge. “Drama Under Palm Trees” eerily keeps the trap vibes going always keeping a hammer by his side while “Street Lights” talks about what it was like for him growing up in the dark.

After an interlude from Zach Holmes of the Paramount Skydance Corporation subsidiary MTV-owned Jackass franchise, “Switchblade” pulls from the early 90s g-funk scene tryna get high & paid simultaneously while “Shoot2kill” talks about his state of mind being to hustle forever leavin’ opps flatlined. “Jin” officially concludes Suerte with 1 more trap joint assuring that he’ll crush your skull.

It’s been so long since Tales of a Cursed G came out & whatever the west coast wicked shit trailblazer has in store on his next full-length body of work, Suerte reaffirms he hasn’t lost a step after taking a year off to tour. It’s more trap-based in terms of production other than minor influences of g-funk & Memphis rap, but Hexxx is still very much embracing the gangsta rap themes only a tad bit heavier than he did on the last couple albums he put out in the earlier parts of the current decade.

Score: 4/5

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Beno – “Out on Bond” review

Beno is a 28 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan known for being 1/2 of the duo Drego & Beno. His partner in rhyme already has a couple solo LPs & 3 EPs under his belt already with the latest EP Krazy Man 2 coming out over a couple months ago. On the other hand, Beno has yet to put out any projects by himself up until this point & felt his debut EP had my wondering how he would sound by himself during an entire project since we’ve heard so many from his counterpart.

“BJ” opens with a flute, some 808s & string sections sticking to the g code whereas “B.T.A. (Beat That Ass)” featuring Lil Mello works in some pianos & 808s referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE world champion, ECW World Television Champion, 6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 4-time & the final WWE Hardcore Champion, TNA World Champion & TNA X Division Champion Rob Van Dam.

Moving on from there, “Possible” finds himself optimistically feeling like anything’s a possibility over a decent Detroit trap instrumental prior to “Hmm Hmmmm” going for a darker vibe to the beat talking about catching an opp tossing his body in the trunk. “Ouuu Ouuuu” featuring Babytron & produced by Danny G finds the 2 likening themselves to heavyweights in a group of middleweights just before “Ballin’ is a Habit, Not a Crime” explains that the way he balls doesn’t involve illegal activity.

“Dead Wrong” featuring M.I.N.E. Entertainment signee 3200 Tre brings some pianos & 808s back in the fold talking about the only 2 types of people they know being either real or fake while the title track by Drego & Beno telling us what it was like for them growing up selling dope & getting money. “I Got the Urge” ties up any loose ends during the EP refusing to snitch on his squad, remaining the same as he was prior to making it.

Because of the announcement the previous weekend regarding Drego getting ready to serve a 1-year prison stint, it’s not hard to see why Beno wouldn’t take the opportunity to focus on a solo career until his better half comes home & Out on Bond brings it full circle from when Krazy Man initially dropped several years ago. Production’s better than I had initially anticipated & Beno holds the mic finely by himself with a tight guest list.

Score: 3.5/5

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Destroy Lonely – “See U Soon </3” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Destroy Lonely preluding his 2nd mixtape </3³ with his 12th EP. The son of former Disturbing tha Peace Records signee I-20, he’s released a total of 11 EPs since originally breaking out through SoundCloud in 2019 prior to Playboi Carti signing alone to his Interscope Records imprint Opium Records to surprise drop his last tape No Stylist in light of his ongoing tour with fellow label-mate Ken Carson last summer followed by the full-length debut If Looks Could Kill. Love Lasts Forever was disappointing in comparison & hoped See U Soon </3 would at least surpass it.

“Nylon” produced by Clayco throws it back to Lone’s early days for an intro preluding his upcoming 3rd album Drop Dead Gorgeous whereas the cloudy “SDP” courtesy of Cade homages an interlude off Travis Scott’s sophomore effort Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight that I personally find the original version of being far superior to the shortened final version you can hear on whatever streaming platform you use.

The instrumental on “See Ur Face” kinda feels reminiscent of “Tryna Get Down” by Carti despite the themes of love while “Super Serum” keeps his head up after some personal stuff he dealt with in 2024 unbeknownst to the public. “SRTBBL” featuring Ken Carson finishes by showing a back-&-forth chemistry over a beat from F1LTHY of Working on Dying ahead of the 00pium Twins’ upcoming collab tape.

Some feel that Lone’s output since his label deal hasn’t really lived up to the hype </3 & most of those in his fanbase will find themselves satisfied with what See U Soon </3 has to offer giving a taste of what </3³ will sound like when he feels the time is right for him to put out the tape: A return to his roots musically except he has a new perspective of things since he’s gotten older & the popularity continually growing.

Score: 3.5/5

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