Sonnyjim – “Rob Ford” review

2nd extended play of 2026 & the 19th overall from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sonnyjim. Making his debut in the summer of 2011 with The Psychonaut, he would go on to drop 8 more albums as well as his last 18 EPs & a mixtape. Most notably the No Vi$ible Means of Income trilogy produced by Giallo Point, the Buckwild-produced Coke Le Roc, the Illinformed-produced The Chemistry Must Be Respected, the Leaf Dog-produced How to Tame Lions, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Money Green Leather Sofa, White Girl Wasted and finally the Lee Scott-produced Ortolan & Armagnac. Coming off the Sumgii-produced Chinatown Chicken Tour a couple months ago, he’s reuniting with Lee for Rob Ford.

“Tuscan Pleather” starts by talking about his phenom status whereas the only single “Krayzie, Layzie, Flesh, Wish-N-Bizzy” featuring Shyheim gives Bone Thugs-n-Harmony their flowers. “Lump Sum” featuring Jehst & King Grubb references 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin while “BOGOF” talks about being literature practitioner.

As Serious as Your Life 2 last month ago felt a lot more like a single with a b-side than an actual EP, so I was grateful to see that Rob Ford was somewhat longer. And despite not putting it in the same conversations like I would Chinatown Chicken or Ortolan & Armagnac, I’m sure a great deal of the fans who enjoyed the latter will still come away from this satisfied considering how well it recaptures the chemistry between Lee Scott’s production & Sonnyjim’s distinctive lyrical style.

Score: 3.5/5

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Benny the Butcher & Fuego Base – “Ashes in the $afe” review

New collaborative EP from Buffalo, New York emcee Benny the Butcher alongside Hartford, Connecticut emcee Fuego Base. One of whom co-founded Black Soprano Family Records with City Boy & the other blew up a few years ago after signing to the label. So I had no problem with them taking their chemistry to the next level with Ashes in the $afe almost a week since former WWE Women’s Champion Stephanie McMahon, former IWA World Champion, 2-time IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, 3-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, 4-time NWA World Tag Team Champion, PWG World Champion, RPW British Heavyweight Champion, the inaugural ROH Pure Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, 2-time TNA World Champion, the inaugural 6-time TNA X Division Champion, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion, 2-time WWE Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion & 2-time WWE tag team champion AJ Styles, former 3-time WWE Tag Team Champions Demolition, former 5-time NBA Champion Dennis Rodman, former CWA Heavyweight Champion, 4-time WWE world champion & WWE United States Champion Sid Eudy and Bad News Brown were all inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

After the titular intro, “Sundial” kicks things off with a sumptuous boom bap opener talking about both of them being made for the stardom whereas “Pyrex & Prayers” lets Fuego Base hold it down by himself so he can put his life savings on the stove hoping everything goes right. Benny returns on “Like It Is” so they can move the weight & tell things the way they see it while “Rev X” featuring Sule finds the trio bringing it hardcore without a hook.

“The Fighting Irish” gets the 2nd half of the EP going by talking about both of them feeling rather lucky prior to O.T. the Real & Rick Hyde appearing for “Warehouse 4”, which is a continuation of the series that began on Biggest Since Camby a few years ago. “Big Shirley” mixes some triumphant strings with kicks & snares for the last Fuego Base solo track talking about how well he goes with the game & “Castellammarese War” featuring O.T. the Real ends with them still predicting show like groundhogs who don’t see their shadows.

Tell My Momma I’m Still a Rapper was a good way for Fuego Base to start off 2026 & most people wound up preferring Benny the Butcher’s most recent tape Summertime Butch 2 over it’s predecessor including myself, but I’d put Ashes in the $afe over the eponymous Harlem Heat extended play Fuego did with Elcamino last summer. The chemistry’s stronger & the Butcher proves now’s the time for the Biggest Since Camby lets the world know his true artistic potential.

Score: 3.5/5

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Wallie the Sensei – “M.A.D. D.O.G.G. (Managing Angry Demons Deprived of God’s Grace)” review

Wallie the Sensei is a 29 year old rapper from Compton, California emerging in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic off his debut extended play No Love. He went on to follow this up with the full-length debut Golden Child & the sophomore effort Here 2 Stay under Capitol Records, which resulted in him doing the hook for “Dodger Blue” off Kendrick Lamar’s 6th album GNX. The latter would impress Travis Scott enough in signing Wallie to Cactus Jack Records last spring & his debut for the label has finally arrived in the form of his 2nd EP.

“No Shirt” made for an atmospherically decent intro talking about waking the streets up whereas “Dirty Bastard” carries over the cloudiness until the beat switch during the final minute or so to discuss the coldest hearts playing with the most heat. “City of Angels” goes for a moodier vibe confessing that he’s been going numb to the pain until the title track produced by Taurus talks about there being too many killers & not enough bodies as well as deserving of wealth.

The song “4 Lines / Self Destruct” splits itself into 2 halves again trying to get his mother out the hood & feeling like he’ll fail if he doesn’t prior to some drumless acoustics being incorporated midway through talking about carrying heavy weight. “Beam” featuring Roddy Ricch finds the 2 embracing a nervous vibe advising that real Gs don’t do the shit they do for entertainment purposes & “Product of My Environment” talks about making it this far because he hasn’t changed.

His brief appearances on Jackboys II last summer & more recently DJ Chase B’s debut album Be Very Afraid a couple months earlier raised some concerns regarding my anticipation for M.A.D. D.O.G.G. (Managing Angry Demons Deprived of God’s Grace) but considering that the chances of a sequel or 2 are looking increasingly likely, I hope they’re better than this. A lot of these instrumentals are dull & it’s disappointing since I don’t mind the perspective he gives regarding the people in his hometown.

Score: 3/5

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Jon Connor – “The Artist Yahn Freeman IV” review

New surprise EP from Flint, Michigan emcee/producer Jon Connor. Someone who’s steadily been holding it down for the last 2 decades including The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. trilogies along with the Best in the World series paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved, coming off Food for the Soul & 24 produced by KLC of the No Limit Records in-house production team Beats by the Pound to drop the 4th installment of The Artist Yahn Freeman series produced by Smitti Boi.

“Lord You Know I’m Trying” hops over a trap beat sampling gospel music to begin this month’s installment talking about making music for the people who appreciate his style these days whereas “1st Day Back” goes for a boom bap vibe instrumentally admitting he wakes up every day thinking of making something out of his life before his time’s up. “Solid Ground” keeps it rugged to spit streams of consciousness while “Evolve” featuring MRK_SX finds the 2 talking about now being the time to do better.

Starting the 2nd half, “The Party 2” comes through with a spiritual successor to a highlight off The Artist Yahn Freeman II promising to never give up his self-respect for money over a nocturnal trap beat while “Endless Road” vents the need to talk to someone except no one’s tapping in. “Praying for the Sunshine” returns to the boom bap calling for us to realize our children’s future is in our hands & “They Can’t Stop My Dreams” spends the last couple minutes promising everything will be ok.

Only a week after his birthday, this latest entry of Jon Connor’s ongoing saga has been only getting more interesting by the month & The Artist Yahn Freeman IV taking over The Artist Yahn Freeman III’s position as the All Varsity Music Group founder’s finest-sounding extended play this whole year. Maestro Williams of Silent Riot’s gives us the greatest mixing/mastering I’ve heard throughout this entire tetrarch through his engineering, carrying over the thoughtfully conscious lyricism backed by Smitti Boi’s production healthily balancing boom bap & trap.

Score: 4/5

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Mike Shabb – “Hood Olympics 2” review

Montréal, Québec, Canada emcee, producer & engineer Mike Shabb still applying pressure with his 10th EP & the 4th within the last month. Emerging in the spring of 2018 off his full-length debut Northwave, he would continue to make his presence known by putting out his last 9 EPs & a few mixtapes before gaining notoriety for engineering Boldy James’ 5th album Fair Exchange No Robbery along with producing “Switches on Everything” off Hitler Wears Hermes X & enlisting his mentor Nicholas Craven to fully produce his 5th EP Shadow Moses from top to bottom. He would follow these up with Hood Olympics, Sewaside III, Shabb Van Gogh, Fight the Power!, Vrai Rap Keb!, the Drega33-produced Lost Tapes & Maple Flavored. The latter of which was alright compared to the others I named, but Hood Olympics 2 has finally arrived nevertheless.

The self-produced “Don’t Know” asks himself why would he fuck with all of these raggedy hoes when he already has a fine bitch by his side whereas “Dilla” euphorically talks about his desire being like one of my top 5 producers of all-time: The late, great J Dilla himself. “Scrubb”aggressively issues a warning of pulling up on blocks for the purpose of wiping ‘em up while “Smack!” talks about doing real damage if he has to send messages.

“Smile” gives off a more sensual vibe altogether telling his girl that nobody can ever make him hate her since she’s family to him at this point leading into Spook making Hood Olympics 2’s sole guest appearance on “Unc Rob”, finishing up the 1st half by letting his partner hold the blick. “I Like It” kicks off the 2nd half experimenting with sample drill flipping “That’s the Way” by KC & The Sunshineband just before “Muffinz” talks about being fresh as fuck every time he pops out, baking anyone who messes with his girl.

The song “Moune Bizz” has this experimental trap flare to it addressing the kind of people who think people wouldn’t want to get flicks with him or the women while “Grandma” talks about his inability of trusting his Day 1 homie because he doesn’t know any better. “Jackie Chan” winds down the last few minutes of Hood Olympics 2 looking to crack anybody who fucks around too much & “Juxtapose” ends by promising that he’ll keep moving the way he’s supposed to.

Of the 4 extended plays Mike Shabb has given us only a quarter away through the year, Maple Flavored was the only one that I didn’t really care for that much but for him to drop Hood Olympics 2 in preparation for Sewaside IV somewhere between the next 8 months makes up for the averageness of the EP that came out last weekend. I love hearing the finest in Montréal today testing out new sounds beyond the drumless/boom bap styles he’s become known for even if he has the stronger half of the production & his pen’s a lot sharper than Hood Olympics 2’s predecessor.

Score: 3.5/5

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Canibus & Chino XL – “Necksnapper” review

New collaborative extended play between the late East Orange, New Jersey emcee Chino XL & The Bronx, New York by way of Kingston, Jamaica lyricist Canibus. Both of whom have crossed paths several times prior including tracks like “Cypher of 5 Mics” & “Pendulum Swing” by Rakim, the latter of which was the very last song that came out prior to Chino’s untimely tragic passing a couple summers ago. However, they’re coming together to deliver a complete Necksnapper.

The title track breaks the gate down with this boom bap intro Johnny Slash cooked up looking to make human mean out of all competitors whereas “Abu La-Haab” continues with a 5-minute Canibus solo joint explaining that a work of art is actually a world of labor. Chino takes the mic from beyond the grave on “Always There” talking about the mental health struggles that took his life just before “God’z Wrath” featuring Rock finds all 3 of them coming correctly.

“Basquiat 2” starts the 2nd half with 1 more Chino XL solo track that surpasses it’s predecessor included on Prelude to The Mantis while “Celebration” by Canibus experiments with rapping over an EDM beat talking about still being here a quarter of a century later. “Bulletproof Metals” featuring Eto & Planet Asia returns to the boom bap calling for everyone to bow down to them while “Sick Mind” featuring Block McCloud, Joker & Poison Pen ends with them making bodies disappear in a flash.

Putting all of the previously released material like both the “Pendulum Swing” & “Champion” remixes and “Cypher of 5 Mics” aside, I think Necksnapper’s the best of the 2 posthumous offerings we’ve gotten from Chino XL in 2026 & it’s not too far from S.L.I.C.C. (Self Licking Ice Cream Cone) in becoming some of the most enjoyable material Canibus has put out in some time. When they’re not putting their chemistry to the test half the time, they’re spending the other portion of the EP holding it down themselves.

Score: 4/5

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Daniel Son – “Shattered Glass” review

Pretty sure this has to be the 7th EP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee Daniel Son. A member of the Brown Bag Money collective, his profile began to rapidly increase in the underground off projects like the Giallo Point-produced debut mixtape The Gunners or the Futurewave-produced sophomore album Yenaldooshi. He also teamed up with Raz Fresco for the spectacular collab album Northside paying homage to the roots of the Toronto hip hop scene & a few months after reuniting with Futurewave for the first time since Son Tzu & the Wav.God on Bushman Bodega & the Finn-produced Hare Brained Schemes a few months later. Almost a whole year since Baggage Claims though, he & Futurewave are running it back for Shattered Glass a week after Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP) founder Scott D’Amore crowned The Good Brothers as the inaugural & shortest reigning MLP Canadian Tag Team Champions.

“Old Starter Kit” hops over a drumless jazz loop to talk about doing this shit for his own legacy’s sake whereas “Lil Earl” instrumentally goes for a boom bap vibe so he can discuss cookin’ ‘em all in the same pot. “Shipping Container” has this lo-fi quality to the beat talking about ordering more if you want to pay less prior to “Ticket Sales” featuring Asun Eastwood teaming up so bottom of them can discuss making any money rather than not bringing any in at all.

Moving on from there, “Bear Steaks” strips the drums to talk about making it out of the storm & finding his own directions while “Kolors on Queen” continues to embrace a lo-fi boom bap sound speaking of keeping his head on a swivel during his late night strolls. “Ocean Smock” featuring Sayzee finds the 2 joining forces to talk about the recoil from their firearms making shoulders pop while “Shotgun Draw” clarifies to those who were sending shots at him that they wound up completely missing.

“Broke Routine” winds down Shattered Glass’ final moments observing that some not being built to take any fall while “Late for Dinner” talks about seeing a ghost rockin’ in the hallway making noises every day of the week. “Hogwash” goes drumless again so he can express his belief of the musical oversaturation getting out of control & after “Bow Flesh” prays for chaos to balance his good days, the outro “All My Dice” finishes by talking about his future looking brighter than his past.

Taking the foundation of Soundwave & approaching it in his own way, Daniel Son builds on the energy of the beats & pushes it into something new with Shattered Glass after what had initially started as a simple idea quickly turned into something else with it’s completely separate identity. The transitions & pacing are chaotic in the best way possible, but it never loses direction by maintaining the intentionally raw & unpredictable feeling.

Score: 3.5/5

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Decksterror – “Love & Honour 2” review

London, England, United Kingdom producer Decksterror returning with his 2nd extended play Originally known under the moniker G-Man, he would form Hollow Sun Records alongside Cosm in the spring of 2020 a couple weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic began & eventually made his full-length solo debut with Black/Gold Stash a couple years later. Signed to the Croydon underground imprint Hidden Hobby Records as an in-house producer, he made his debut for the label with Love & Honour and has dropped the highly anticipated follow-up only 24 hours away from Callum Newman becoming the youngest IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン.

“Democracy Manifest” by Ill Sykes, Kakarot & Lomax opens with the trio spitting hardcore bars over a boom bap instrumental whereas “The Source Code” by Lomax lets everyone know what this shit’s really all about. “Terminal Horizon” by Ill Sykes works in some horns to talk about his words being more effective than sticks & stones while “Tony Stark / Speed of a Train” by Murkerz gets the 2nd half of the EP going with a dusty 2-parter.

Body Bag Ben & DreMilla appear together on “P.A.K. (What Does It Mean?)” talking about their respective pens slicing anyone who dares to step up to them in a rap battle while “The Golden Eye” by Juga-Naut, Micall Parknsun, Montener the Menace & Teach ‘Em ends on a more luxuriously rawer note talking about how they made a pledge when it comes to the artform & those who ain’t do shit having the inability of complaining because ain’t a game to them unless anyone else has actually played it.

A little over a month since DJ Sam Seed introduced himself artistically bridging The Unaligned, we’re now being treated to a Love & Honour sequel that reached the bar it’s predecessor had set & continues what could be Hidden Hobby Records’ biggest year yet. There are some slight improvements within the list of guests most notably towards the backend of it, but it’s really Deckterror’s production that really shines the most.

Score: 3.5/5

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LIFEOFTHOM – “Re-Route: Reflection” review

This is the 6th extended play from New York City emcee LIFEOFTHOM. Coming up in the late 2010s off his first couple EPs Thomas & Robot Jesus, he would go on to release 3 more in Floor 11 as well as Room 44 & Cocotaso respectively. Driving Blind produced by Plain Pat following an appearance on Lørd Skø’s sophomore effort United Palace has since become his most acclaimed material & Re-Route: Reflection produced by Supah Mario looks to reach that same pedestal.

“Can’t Help” featuring Meechy Darko gets things going with this gritty boom bap beat talking about being outside looking for the hard play whereas “Monday” goes for a summery vibe instrumentally telling this woman he can’t live without her. “The World is Yours” shift towards a cloudier direction realizing that it seems like he doesn’t need the internet anymore & “Grape Vine” ties it all up in the form of this boom bap outro talking about him staying asking questions because answering them is a bonus.

LIFEOFTHOM already has 5 other EPs he’s given over the course of this ongoing decade & I might not have Re-Route: Reflection above Driving Blind, but it’s pretty close & continues to dent more cracks into realizing his true potential than a lot of his earlier output a decade ago. There’s more of an obvious reflective approach to his songwriting & Supah Mario’s production is more lenient towards the trap sound he’s become known for over the course of a decade.

Score: 4/5

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Giffy Pluggo – “The Layoff: No Hooks” review

Here is the 4th extended play from Chicago, Illinois emcee & ATIP Records founder Giffy Pluggo. Emerging a few years ago off his debut mixtape Paid Leave & its sequel put out an expanded version of his debut album Los Pluggos followed by Pluggo’s Birthday & Douda respectively. The latter mostly produced by Myles & becoming the most beloved entry in his discography thus far, coming off a Luxury Manifesto almost 9 months prior to break down The Layoff: No Hooks.

“Notice Received” recalls the very moment he was let go from his day job over a crooning vocal sample talking about this only being an overview of the feature presentation whereas “Overqualified” goes for a chipmunk soul vibe instrumentally boasts of copping a Cybertruck when I personally think they look like refrigerators although I don’t mind the interface of it. “Division Shut Down” talks about knowing your worth & labels having to pay him in advance while “Out Here” includes a dope bar referring to Ye’s debut The College Dropout.

Global appears on the song “Pink Slip Poetry” shifting towards a cloudier direction with the beat talking about the Cybertruck that Giffy copped earlier being unable to fit in his garage & considering it to be the problems of a baller while “Exit Strategy” incorporates some warm synthesizers so he can speak of growing up on a different type of block. “Restructured” spends the last few minutes of the EP announcing that Paid Leave 3 will be arriving soon over a drumless loop & going through a lot to get to where he’s at presently.

Giffy Pluggo has also confirmed that he’s working on something with Drumwork Music Group founder Conway the Machine as we speak & I look toward to that considering that the Black Soprano Family Records collaborations happened through him opening for Benny the Butcher several time. And in light of him getting laid off from his job, The Layoff: No Hooks rebuilds himself in real time & this improvement above Luxury Manifesto EP is only the beginning of this new era in his career. The production’s an improvement above the predecessor & conceptually, he’s taking a piece of the moment when life flips on us & we have to decide whether to fold or level up.

Score: 4/5

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