Crimeapple – “Top 85 Dead or Alive” review

Here we have the latest & 20th extended play from Hackensack, New Jersey lyricist Crimeapple. Becoming a fan of his almost a decade ago with his 4th EP Sweet Dreams along with the Big Ghost Ltd. produced full-length debut Aguardiente that next spring, his profile in the underground grew exponentially from there. Discography standouts include the DJ Skizz-produced Wet Dirt, the DJ Muggs-produced Medallo, Cartagena, Breakfast in Hradec, Sin Cortar, the Preservation-produced El León, the official Aguardiente sequel Bazuko, the Mello Music Group-backed This, Is Not That produced by Apollo Brown, Rose Gold & the V Don produced Bulletproof Chicken. Last time I covered him was when Evidence produced War Cash several months earlier & Top 85 Dead or Alive dropping out of nowhere had me anticipating it making up for Beemer on Broadway.

“Marv Albert” opens up with this cinematically produced beat demanding to prove if one’s really active with the strap like they claim to be & after “Jayson Williams” shifts towards an atmospheric vibe instrumentally thanks to Billy Loman pondering killing rappers for even thinking they could fit in his shoes over a sample, “All Star Weekend” already finishes up the 1st half of the EP flowing on top of a lo-fi boom bap beat getting himself ready to make his competition feel uncomfortable.

To get the 2nd leg going, the “Foul Line” combines some pianos & a tuba so Crime can kick it off-top for a little over a couple minutes while “Wristbands” luxuriously talks about opinions being exactly like bust down Cubans in the sense everyone has them. The closing track “Trick Shot” spends Top 85 Dead or Alive’s concluding moments coasting over this groovy instrumental boasting that he’s printing paper on the mobile phone getting high out in the Grenada region of the Caribbean.

I very much understand & appreciate what Crimeapple was trying to do with Top 85 Dead or Alive since he pretty much took it back to the essence of his earlier EPs nearly a decade ago when he was on the come up but regardless of War Cash still holding the bragging rights for my personal favorite thing he’s done this year, I have no doubt in my mind that I’ll be giving it more spins than Beemer on Broadway since he’s singlehandedly laying out short & sweet barwork that gets directly to the point.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ramirez – “Brabus & Lorinsers” review

San Francisco, California emcee Ramirez ending the month with his 13th extended play. Emerging as a longtime affiliate of the $uicideboy$, he would go on to co-found to the New Orleans-based indie label G*59 Record$ with them & build himself as an artist by dropping 8 mixtapes along with his last dozen EPs & 5 full-lengths. Tha Playa$ Manual was his best LP yet with it’s g-funk production from Rocci, coming off the sequel under his newly formed EMPIRE Distribution imprint Velvet Note Records nearly 13 months earlier following his amicable G*59 departure to drop Brabus & Lorinsers.

“Gran Turismo” begins with this smooth west coast intro rapping about the only thing that stays on his mind is making money whereas “Hacienda” takes a more spacious route instrumentally & getting significantly melodic in terms of performance, exploring his range for an R&B slow jam. “The Harvest” featuring Boldy James finds the pair encouraging everyone to get their paper while “Lil Nameless 2K16” takes it back to his Memphis rap origins.

Kicking off the 2nd half of Brabus & Lorinsers, the song “Too Many Hoes” coasts over a chilled out beat talking about having an excessive amount of women tryna take what’s his just before “Soundscape” cavernously yearns to be held tight & kept close. The lead single “Come Outside” shifts towards a g-funk vibe talking about killin’ bitches softly leaving the candy paint drippin’ while the 2nd single “Dance in White” wraps up the EP with a nu disco outro.

It wouldn’t really be much of a surprise to me if a great deal of Brabus & Lorinsers was made for Tha Playa$ Manual II sessions considering most of it retains the smooth g-funk/Mobb aesthetics of what Ramirez did last summer when he gave us a spiritual successor to the most beloved entry in his discography, but there are some moments that remind me of his early days in G*59 so it’s kinda like you’re getting a mix of his styles both old & new.

Score: 3.5/5

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Point 5ve – “Take a Look at Me Now” review

Point 5ve formerly known as Lil’ ½ Dead is a 51 year old singer/songwriter & former rapper from Los Angeles, California who dropped his full-length debut The Dead Has Arisen & the sophomore effort Steel on a Mission under Priority Records back in the mid-90s. He returned in 2012 for his 3rd album Dead Serious to generally more mixed reception compared to his major label output & over a decade later, WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg has signed him to Death Row Records distributed by gamma. to reinvent himself for a new extended play stylistically departing from the g-funk sound in favor of an R&B direction.

“Grown Man Business” featuring October London on the remix finds the pair singing about maturity while the funky “Unseen Life” produced by Uncle Snoop explains half of his life is nothing more than a film to him. The title track ends the 1st half singing about not being the same as he was while “Now or Never” encourages to wing it & not look back. “Finish Line” describes a relationship falling apart & “Keep It Warm” featuring Kanobby finishes with a duet about companionship.

Dead Serious came out back when I was in high school & regardless of that still not holding up compared to Point 5ve’s earlier material back in the day, Take a Look at Me Now marks a welcoming celebration of this new era in his career. The production’s obviously much smoother than his earlier material & I’m sure some will find themselves disappointed with the lack of rapping on here, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear how well he could sing.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tash – “Attention is a Drug” review

Tash is a 54 year old MC from Columbus, Ohio who would relocate to Los Angeles, California to form Tha Alkaholiks. He would eventually drop his underappreciated solo debut Rap Life in the fall of 1999 under Loud Records & Columbia Records, which was followed up with the poorly received sophomore effort Control Freak a decade later. This new extended play on the contrary has already been teased for some time already & the Catashtraphe has signed with Fat Beats Records to finally put it out.

“Day 2 Day Basis” featuring Styliztik Jones produced by E-Swift finds the pair smashing on suckas daily whereas the funky title track featuring the entire Likwit Crew along with Q-Tip & will.i.am on the remix talks about the effects social media. “Shoe Fits” kicks off the 2nd half of the EP sharply reminding the world of the fact that the truth always comes around in the end while the closing track “Smokin’ Session” sends it all off entrancingly talking about smoking weed.

Widely considered to be the most lyrically proficient member of Tha Alkaholiks, I’m fairly confident that anyone who was disappointed with Control Freak will come away enjoying Addiction is a Drug more than Tash’s previous LP over a decade ago & hopefully it won’t be as long for him to go solo again. The production’s consistently better than it was back in ‘09 & I’m really happy he’s found the inspiration to continue making music.

Score: 3.5/5

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Roughneck Jihad – “Methanol” review

This is the 11th studio LP from the South Bay Area, Northern California emcee Roughneck Jihad. A member of the trio 3rd Sight, he would go on to drop his last 10 full-lengths along with 10 extended plays & a mixtape in over a decade. The most notable being his 2nd EP The Little Assassination Handbook produced by Brussels, Belgium producer Senz Beats under Boot Records. The sequel Lobespierre came out in 2023 to mixed reception & have gone back to the Manchester, England, United Kingdom indie label 3 years later for the trilogy chapter Methanol.

“Great Like Gonzo” hops over a psychedelic rap boom bap intro with a fuzzy guitar sample talking about keeping his enemies close whereas “PCP Flow” instrumentally gives off a shimmery yet dusty vibe likening his cadence to angel dust. “Tongue Toast” embraces a jazzier sound talking about the karma police needing an injunction of some sorts just before “Circle of Life” incorporates some pianos cautioning that he ain’t the guy one should pester.

As for “Magnetar”, we have the Roughneck Jihad over an groovy beat talking about having the capability of smackin’ styles up similarly to a misogynistic pimp while “Life in the City” reaches the midway point giving us his understanding of living in a metropolis. “New Eugenics” kicks off the 2nd half of Methanol on the bloodthirsty boom bap tip cuttin’ muhfuckas off like weeds while the horn-driven “Barbarella” talks about keeping the tech ready & others needing to catch up to him.

“Doo Doo” gets the 4th quarter going with a shrilling instrumental ripping apart any wack rapper who can’t keep up with him lyrically while “Methanal Flame” talks about executing anything that moves in his vicinity & Hell smelling like napalm in the morning. “Rap in Québéc” discusses there being no artist that can do what he does without paying dues & the outro “Your Favorite” wraps things up getting on his Bay shit, advising to keep ya mouth shut after runnin’ up in cribs.

Both of these guys have each been around for nearly 3 decades but regardless of how some people feel about Lobespierre or even the Def Boys EP that recently came out near this past January’s conclusion, Methanol certainly makes for Jihad the Roughneck MC’s most enjoyable collection of material coincidentally since Boot Records signed him 5 years earlier. He & Senz are pretty much distilling their chemistry rather than providing a weird revolution of the mind, making another great case for the Disgruntled Sound Recordings founder ranking amongst the west coast’s most underrated.

Score: 4/5

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MC Serch – “Millions of 0s” review

MC Serch is a 59 year old MC, songwriter & record executive from Queens, New York who rose to prominence as 1/3 of 3rd Bass. He would also drop a solo LP following their disbandment under Def Jam Recordings called Return of the Product, where Nas made one of his very 1st guest appearances. It’s been over 3 decades since then & to my surprise, he had enlisted Apathy from the Army of the Pharaohs & Demigodz collectives to fully produce a new extended play of material.

“Thanks Serch” begins with a groovy instrumental expressing gratitude towards those he’s come across over the course of his illustrious career whereas “The Builder” boasts his wealth over a funky beat. “Air It Out” featuring NEMS finds the duo linking up for a playful club anthem & after “Questions in My Mind” responds to those wondering about his longevity, “The Playbook” preceding the outro comes through with some soulful grown man shit.

Return of the Product isn’t necessarily amongst my favorite things to come out Def Jam in the early 90s despite some of MC Serch’s greatest songs being on it like “Back to the Grill” & “Scenes from the Mind” to name a couple, but Millions of 0s for an EP surpasses that album by returning with a newfound creative urgency over a consistent batch of Apathy production approaching these tracks from a place of reflective honesty.

Score: 4/5

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Rico Nasty – “RX” review

Here we have the 4th extended play from Maryland recording artist Rico Nasty. Turning heads in 2018 off her 6th mixtape Nasty, I was impressed by her unique personality & her eclecticism although it was just ok. However the next spring, she got Kenny Beats to produce her debut EP Anger Management in its entirety & that ended up being my favorite body of work of hers even to this day. Nightmare Vacation was a bit of a step down from Anger Management even though it has a good share of bangers like “iPhone” & “10Fo”, but Las Ruinas showed a more experimental side to her & A Nasty Summer was kinda mediocre truthfully. The sophomore effort Lethal last spring expanded her musical palette & she’s reuniting with Kenny to finally drop RX independently after Atlantic tried to shelve it.

“CDG Foams” hops over an industrial trap instrumental to talk about never forgetting where she came from whereas “Frenzy” turns up the rage beats flexing that she makes all the hoes panic. “Rotation” aggressively talks about hitting the road with all this motion she has but once “Cupcake” blends hypertrap with pop rap & digicore to discuss looking cunt, “Blow Your Nose” kicks off the 2nd half advising to either send a drone or bring out the drums.

Continuing from there with “Runway”, we have Rico addressing a bitch she doesn’t even know hating from afar is over a digicore beat while “Butthead” co-produced by Dylan Brady hit us with some of the fiercest wordplay throughout the entire EP. “Kiss N Make Up” cautions not to push her since she’s always on edge while “Rituals” spends the concluding minutes of RX talking about having legitimate artistry compared to the talentless petty hoes detracting her.

Rather than further exploring her versatility like a Lethal did last spring, RX takes it back to basics by showing the world that Rico Nasty’s chemistry with Kenny Beats almost a decade since Nasty hasn’t changed a bit & that winding up being the best thing she’s made this decade. Kenny’s evolution as a producer should still be noted even if he retains the rage elements of his previous output with Rico & mixing them with trap, jerk, pop rap, digicore, free car music & industrial hip hop.

Score: 4/5

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Action Figure 973 – “Polo Grounds” review

Here is the 13th extended play from Belleville, New Jersey emcee/producer Action Figure 973. For a while at this point, his first couple mixtapes followed by his last dozen EPs & the full-length debut DOOM Was Right over a year ago giving flowers to one of my all-time personal favorite albums Madvillainy have each established himself as a promisingly skilled luchador who so happens to rap. The Most Interesting Man in the World got with Machacha for his sophomore effort last October, coming off What Would Harley Race Do? & 24 Hours in Switzerland to have DiMaggio fully produce Polo Grounds.

After the intro, “Butch Husky” begins with a mafioso vibe instrumentally talking about constantly being in the field whereas “Ken Griffey Jr. Was Never a Yankee” embraces a drumlessly dark sound to discuss doing a lot for people & them never thanking him even once. “Showdown at Shea” has an eerier tone to it talking about offing your favorite rapper while “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” references the terminal neurodegenerative illness AEW performer Rebel has been dealing with since this spring.

“Nomar Garciaparra” gives a shoutout to the retired shortstop & current SportsNet LA analyst of the same name while “Pete Rose” featuring 067 Red finds the pair referencing the 3-time World Series champion & WWE Hall of Famer who passed away a couple years ago. “War Memorial” featuring Brother Tom Sos reunites the 2 over a jazzy boom bap beat talking about living the dream of life itself while “Relief Pitcher” includes a bar referring to the current 2-time AAA Mundial Mixtas Parejas Campeon Mr. Iguana of the WWE subsidiary Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.

Act-Lo even said during the closer that he has countless lyrics that wrestling fans sing at his shows & it’s gotten to a point where he felt like he had to switch it up a bit & it would surprise me if the general consensus would be that Polo Grounds serves as a breath of fresh air for his discography. The hardcore lyricism’s more baseball themed in time for the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star game tonight, coasting DiMaggio’s batch of jazzy boom bap & drumless instrumentals with only a couple guests accompanying him instead of What Would Harley Race Do? only having 1.

Score: 3.5/5

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L-Z Roselli – “Angels Cry & Demons Lurk” review

This is the 2nd extended play from West London, England, United Kingdom rapper L-Z Roselli. Dropping his debut single “My Sharp Bride” in 2018, the guest appearances on Surf or Die as well as Invisible War & Tears of the Dragon when Onoe Caponoe initially dropped those full-lengths under High Focus Records world be my introduction to him although reception towards Unforgivable Sins was generally mixed New Years Day 2025. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I had hoped that Angels Cry & Demons Lurk would be superior only 24 hours after Cowboy Way ended the Slater Dojo’s reign as RPW British Tag Team Champions.

“War Cry” begins with a UK drill intro screaming during his verses about being ready for combat whereas the trap-influenced “Jealous Ghosts” featuring Janset reaches the halfway point referencing Wembley Stadium, where record 2-time AEW International Champion Will Ospreay is set to end Kenny Omega’s ongoing 2nd reign as AEW World Champion next month at All In V that’ll mark the 3rd bout between the 2 following Wrestle Kingdom 19 & Forbidden Door IV.

To get the 2nd half of Angels Cry & Demon Lurk going, we have L-Z taking it back to the UK drill sounds from earlier with “Launch & Attack” once again with some blobby bass breaking down his militant mindset 1 last time while the closing track “Angels Cry” ties up all loose ends by spending the last 4 minutes of the EP combining piano with some 808s & bells talking about taking muhfuckas through crimes that’re legitimately violent in every sense of the word.

Angels Cry & Demons Lurk eschews the secondary influences of drift phonk, Memphis rap & Chicago drill to put a bigger emphasis on the horrorcore side of its predecessor. The end result was L-Z Roselli something far removed from mainstream hip hop by blending cinematically dark production with raw lyricism & a horror inspired atmosphere, proving why he deserves to be in the conversations Central C’s being put in regarding modern UK drill.

Score: 4/5

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slayr – “Avant Nova” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper/producer slayr preluding Fabula Nova & 7th Heaven with his 12th extended play after signing to Columbia Records. Recording music since he was only 11, he’s already dropped his last 11 EPs along with a full-length studio debut & a couple mixtapes. The most notable being Half Blood, which I’d rank amongst the greatest tapes of this decade due to it’s boundary pushing take on rage as well as digicore & pop rap. Earning a spot on the 2026 XXL Freshman Class however, he’s striking while the iron’s hot by dropping Avant Nova.

The self-produced “promise” samples “The Peace” by underscores shouting her out for clearing it & asking if his lover wants his heart whereas “switch my swag” featuring prettifun finds the pair talking about not switching their swag for shit. “nova” reaches the halfway point fucking up his brain & after “i got taste” rehashes his XXL freestyle, “having anxiety is annoying” delves into the relatable feeling of anxiousness. “raise my voice” ends the EP with a 2-parter.

It’s already been made clear of how proud I was of slayr for being a part of this year’s XXL Freshman Class alongside Chris Patrick & La Reezy, the latter of whom dropped his debut album Skiddle Bandana earlier this week. But even it doesn’t surprise me that Avant Nova only maintains the pop rap & rage components of his style since he’s now on a major label, I’m still adamant of Fabula Nova being another riveting entry in his discography.

Score: 4/5

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