Niko B – “people” review

Brand new EP from Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom recording artist Niko B. Starting at the very beginning of this current decade off the strength of his debut single “Marry Berry”, he popularity began to grow exponentially a few months later after putting out his next track “Who’s That What’s That” & the full-length debut album dog eat dog food world last spring being well received enough where people were recommending it to me. A whole year later, Niko’s preluding an upcoming sophomore effort by holding fans off with people.

“Hairclips” was a tight hip house intro telling this woman he’s hitting on how much he loves her hair being able to tell she doesn’t give a fuck by the way she cuts it while “I Like the Way You Talk Looking at Me” fuses hip hop with house & funk music asking if his partner enjoys how he speaks when they’re making eye contact with one another. “What Am I to Do?” rounds out peoplewith 1 more hip house jam talking about optimism being amazing from his perspective.

You know? It’s actually pretty awesome that people dropped on the same day as Little Simz’ brand new album Lotus because Niko B a lot like Simz sticks out to me as one of my favorite UK hip hop artists of the current decade. The production on this one is prominently centered around the hip house sound & you get to see a more optimistic side of Niko.

Score: 4/5

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D2X – “Boy in the Blue Hoodie” review

Chicago, Illinois emcee D2X coming off his first EP The Hunger Era last summer to put out a 2nd one. Releasing his full-length studio debut album The Color Blue in the spring of 2021 & later the sophomore effort Hotel 1105 a couple summers later. Like I said earlier: The Hunger Era was essentially a love letter to the Windy City that made him sending bigger shockwaves in the underground than his first couple LPs did & was wondering if Boy in the Blue Hoodie could reach or surpass that same level.

The harps at the start of “‘Twas the Day” are pleasant to the ear until the chipmunk soul instrumental comes in full effect making way for the Chicago MC to tell the story of a young boy’s dream & finding his peace in mine for the next album whereas “Light Up the Lake” takes a jazzier approach with the horns & a soulful sample making a love letter to a better version of himself. After the spoken word jazz “Miles Away” interlude, “Blue Ocean Water” sends off the tale of the Boy in the Blue Hoodie with a beat kin reminiscent of The Heatmakerz calling himself a future hall of famer.

Understandably, D2X’s continuation of The Hunger Era goes from paying homage to the City that made him giving the world an idea of where he’s from to a more introspective side of himself letting people inside of who he is as a person & his background. One of the coolest things Boy in the Blue Hoodie is that he balances the jazz rap sound he’s always been known for with the chipmunk soul style of production that RZA, Ye or formerly Kanye West, Just Blaze & as I mentioned earlier The Heatmakerz have all pioneered & popularized retelling his life’s story.

Score: 4.5/5

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SK da King – “No More Mr. Nice Guy” review

Baltimore, Maryland emcee SK da King returning after almost 2 years for his 3rd EP. Emerging as a member of the Checkered Flag Boyz under the original moniker Paul Skola, it wasn’t until a few years ago where he signed to Conway the Machine’s very own Drumwork Music Group as a solo act as announced by his debut single “Actions” & would go on to introduce himself to the Drumwork fanbase that fall in the form of the debut EP Horus. His full-length debut studio album Made 4 This came after Before the Album & is back once again to put his foot down saying No More Mr. Guy.

“Fuck Being Humble” was exactly how I could’ve imagined it starting off from the boom bap instrumental to the confidentially boastful lyrics never selling out unless it’s weight whereas the title track goes for a darker atmosphere so he can take the gloves off on being generous. “Not at All” switches it up in favor of a trap direction talking about putting rubber bands on the cash like lobster claws while “Hustle or Starve” grittily takes on the familiar theme of survival of the fittest.

The drums get stripped on The New King” stepping up his rhyme schemes off the dome until SK drops dime on what he’s learned in the streets & the music industry in general during “The Game 101” giving advice from his own personal experiences. “They Don’t Love You” finishes No More Mr. Nice Guy with 1 last boom bap track talking about there being nothing worse than receiving fake love from fake thugs you for everything you’ve got.

Gearing up for an upcoming sophomore effort since last summer when SK da King’s last EP Guns N Butter came out, No More Mr. Nice Guy gives me a strong feeling it could surpass Made 4 This & hopefully get more attention from heads in the underground whenever the next LP is ready. Holding the fort by himself unlike the predecessor having a few features, the penmanship of the Checkered Flag Boyz’ strongest link feels notably sharpened from when he initially signed in 2021 & the boom bap production packs a bigger punch.

Score: 4/5

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Benji Blue Bills – “Out the Blue” review

Atlanta, Georgia gangsta rapper Benji Blue Bills recruiting Working on Dying member BNYX to produce his 3rd EP. Introducing himself in 2018 off his debut EP Before the Storm, his last EP Blue saw him taking 3 years off only to return for the full-length debut Campaign Blue & a sophomore effort 500k Degrees showing significant growth compared to his earlier material. BNYX has undeniably become an in-demand producer of this decade & hearing him behind the boards throughout the duration of Benji’s official Atlantic Records debut Out the Blue had a lot of promising potential.

“I Wonder” co-produced by BNYX’s brother BEAUTIFULMVN starts with a soulful trap vibe instrumentally talking about the hunger that’s always been inside him finally coming out whereas “1-2 Step” heavily samples “1, 2 Step” by Ciara & Missy Elliott explaining that murder dancing is legitimately the only thing he knows how to do. “Feels CoreCore” heads towards a calmer, cloudier trap direction relating to what it’s like to lose a bitch leading into the rage-inducing “Morgan” finding himself going crazy.

Moving on from there, “Taco Shells” has to be my least favorite track if I had to pick one mainly due to it being one of the more repetitive moments lyrically just before the futuristically bell-woven “All the Way” talks about everything falling in place. “Aye Rage” gives new jazz a shot so he can throw shade towards jace! & “Right Key” gets on his pluggnb bag for a brief minute keeping his heart in a safe. “Down Girl” featuring Duki rounds out the EP with a bilingual romance duet doing anything if one or the other is down.

His name has come up on my radar a few times in the current decade because of his ties with DJ Phat or singles like “I’m Right Here”, but BNYX really locks in with 3B on Out the Blue enough where I can call it the greatest body of work the latter has ever conceived. BNYX’s production backs 3B’s gangsta heavy themes channeling the sounds of chipmunk soul, trap, pluggnb, rage & new jazz elevating the Atlanta artist’s whole style to coincide with his major label deal.

Score: 4/5

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A-F-R-O – “Crimson Fury” review

Right here is the 12th EP from Los Angeles, California emcee/producer A-F-R-O. A protege of R.A. the Rugged Man after winning the Definition of a Rap Flow contest, his Duck Down Music Inc.-backed 5th EP A-F-R-O Polo produced by Marco Polo introduced himself as a promising up-&-comer within the underground. I got to cover his self-produced 9th EP The Drawing Board last spring & of course the Stu Bangas-produced The Bad & the Ugly: The Goods Always Die First surpassing it as his best material. Another spring later & Crimson Fury comes out on Bandcamp exclusively.

After a titular intro, The Cell” opens the EP with a villainously self-produced boom bap opener talking about the protagonist being trapped in a high security prison where the absolute worst occurs whereas “Brawl in Cell Block 29” keeps it in the basement instrumentally painting the image of a riot breaking out within the facility. “Shoot the Messenger” maintains a dusty vibe thanks to C-Lance talking about being ambushed right when he identifies as a free man leading into “Ricochet” featuring Percee P & Pulse Reaction bringing the trio together making their enemies sleep with the fishes.

“At All Costs” works in a jazz sample to point out the fact he sacrificed his freedom to get revenge on the very person who set him up while “The Gauntlet” featuring EYKM1536 & Motion+ over another boom bap instrumental so all 3 of them could sign up for an open challenge ready for any war when they get on their bloodsport. “No Escape” reunites with Stu Bangas evading captivity by switching uniforms safely making it out with the penitentiary exploding behind him & “Dinner with Death” marks a climactic point in the tale getting the vengeance he’s wanted.

Prominently conceptual than most of A-F-R-O’s earlier material, he portrays the role of a man named Archie who becomes incarcerated after killing the men who murdered his best friend when he was completely innocent. Once finding out another friend orchestrated the murder & framed Archie, he vows to break out of prison so he can finish the job himself & succeeding in the end. Every track ties into one another cohesively & the plot is exceptionally mapped out with the traditional boom bap sound backdropping the tale.

Score: 4/5

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yoon – “wounds” review

yoon is a 19 year old rapper from Broward County, Florida turning heads for blending emotional grit with distorted clarity in a sound that’s entirely his own. He introduced himself in the fall of 2023 by releasing a 3-track debut EP Eternal giving glimpses of what his potential looks like. It’s been 18 months since & we haven’t really heard much from him in that extended period of time, taking further steps to cement himself as an artist by putting out a 2nd EP to keep warming up for a full-length studio debut album.

My favorite song here happens to be the intro “relocate” from the Rio Leyva of Internet Money Records instrumental to the lyrics about having to move to a new place on top of not doing any favors for no hoe whereas “shouldertoleanon” goes for a piano-trap direction asking for his partner to tell him what it is & what it ain’t. “itsgonbealright” turns up the rage a little wanting his girl to tell him he loves him leading into “it’s rags, hoe” talking about the love he has for the bag & his homies lessens the hypertrap influence.

“cut cut, cut” hops over some hi-hats & bass flexing that he’s rocked out despite all the fair share of pain in his life just before “showuimtheone” fuses pop rap & trap talking about wanting to stop by this woman’s house to prove they’re a good fit. “putmyprideaside” brings a cloudier vibe to the table feeling spaced out as of late refusing to fuck hoes who listen to him while “yeah, I’m cut” talks about the cuts he has from many dark days.

The song “cauterize” kicks off the final minutes of wounds observing the irony of a bitch not wanting anything to do with him until he started making a little money & maintaining his cool even with the feeling that his detractors are plottin’ on him until “deadmanwalking” wraps up the EP by talking about having no other option than to stack his paper higher as well as his popularity steadily growing.

As opposed to Eternal offering a brief taste of yoon’s artistry, he capitalizes it with another EP that’s significantly introspective than the predecessor a year & a half ago by now. Heavily catered to the rage subgenre of trap in terms of production, the Atlanta underground performer’s personal struggles he’s endured whether it be recently or in the past all gets unpacked in a way that seems more endearing compared to his previous output & it lives up to all the hype I’ve been hearing.

Score: 4/5

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Vader – “Humanihility” review

Vader is a death metal band from Olszytn, Poland consisting of original rhythm guitarist Mauser, backup rhythm guitarist Spider, bassist Hal, drummer Michał Andrzejczyk & frontman Peter. Beginning as a more traditional heavy metal group until moving on to thrash as well as speed & finally the death metal style they’ve become known for today, their first couple albums The Ultimate Incantation & De Profundis would become the most beloved entries in their discography. MNRK Music Group signed them for Black to the Blind & joined Metal Blade Records in a 3-album deal: Litany, Revelations & The Beast. Since 2009 however, they’ve been making theirselves at home with Nuclear Blast Records by putting out their last 5 LPs Necropolis, Welcome to the Morbid Reich, Tibi et Igni, The Empire & Solitude in Madness in addition to their last 3 EPs Go to Hell!!!, Iron Times & Thy Messenger on the label. Almost 5 years since Solitude in Madness, they’re reuniting for their 9th EP & the 9th project overall since the Nuclear Blast deal.

“Genocide Designed” was a tight deathened thrash metal intro singing about being a parasitic humanoid & rotten thoughts born in the deepest pits of Hell whereas “Rampage” works in more blistering tempos, technically palm-muted riffs & rapidly shredding solos describing an eternal war. “Unbending” sends off the EP with a death metal single calling to be respected for the soul he’s become even if it’s a surrealistic plea from his perspective

For only being 3 songs & 9 minutes at length, Humanihility’s viciously old school thrash metal direction contains enough ferocity to match the traditionally neck-breaking tempos Vader has become known for in the last 4 decades. It has a more personal style to it than Solitude of Madness, fusing the death metal sound they’ve become known for in over 3 decades & mixing elements of thrash along the way to hold off fans whenever their 13th album comes.

Score: 3.5/5

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Crossworm – “Shelter Skelter” review

Grand Rapids, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & Dirtcore Music founder Crossworm quickly following up Dirtwave with his 5th EP. Starting as 1/2 of 2Korpse before branching out on his own for the full-length solo debut Phoenix, this was followed up by a sophomore LP Ready to Burn alongside 2 EPs Mouth Full of Dirt & jaws: Deciduous respectively. Taking a few years off after the latter, he returned in the summer of 2014 by dropping 4 more albums: Parasite Avenue, Drowning in Restricting Thought, Finding X & Eat the Weak. I’ve covered the Gōst EP along with the synthpop inspired ANTI & of course the eponymous Bodies Below Sea Level debut, coming off an EP couple weeks ago by making another stylistic departure on Shelter Skelter.

The title track starts with a witch house intro that sounds like it could be played at the end of an episode during the upcoming 5th & final season of the Netflix hit series Stranger Things whereas “Condemned” takes a prominently industrial direction instrumentally kinda like the Bodies Below Sea Level album without the hip hop fusion. “Oubliette” dabbles with the darksynth subgenre of synthwave additionally using a drum machine prior to “Bones in the Cellar” finishing the way he started in the form of another witch house cut.

When you look at the Depeche Mode influence on ANTI almost 2 years ago & the industrial horrorcore concept of Bodies Below Sea Level’s wider introduction to the underground as a team, Shelter Skelter gives a shot at making industrial & witch house music taking a break from rapping or singing to cook a few beats catered around the experimental style of music emerging out of 70s punk & sprinkling in hints of crunk shoegaze occasionally for a little over 10 minutes.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jay NiCE & Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12” review

This is the 2nd collaborative EP between Atlanta, Georgia emcee Jay NiCE alongside local Dump Gawd himself Tha God Fahim. Both of whom have worked with each other countless times in the past several years, teaming up for the collab album Strictly 4 My D.U.M.P.E.R.Z. during the spring of 2018 & the Bloodspiller EP around Halloween time 2 & a half years ago. Jay was on half of Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 11 last month hours prior of the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE acquiring Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) from the Peña–Roldán family at the start of WrestleMania XLI weekend in response their Tony Khan-owned competitors All Elite Wrestling (AEW) & Ring of Honor Wrestling (ROH) both being involved with this year’s annual Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), 新日本プロレス (NJPW) & Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW) co-promoted event Fantastica Mania on June 20 held at La Catedral de la Lucha Libre Arena México. Little did we know they would make the 12th entry of the saga a full collaborative effort between the pair with Nicholas Craven on production.

“Ultimate Spider” was a drumless 3-minute hardcore intro referencing Dr. Octopus from The Walt Disney Company subsidiary Marvel-owned Spider-Man franchise whereas “Tha Uppercut” continues the strip the drums even more including a line referring to the Discovery Global subsidiary Cartoon Network-owned PowerPuff Girls franchise.

The only Fahim solo cut “Nickleplated Temptations” doesn’t miss by any means soulfully showing off his quintessential pen while “Tha Company” dustily mentions Eric Cartman from the timeless Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Comedy Central series South Park ahead of the upcoming 27th season finally premiering in July.

“Black Mamba” if you couldn’t tell by the name homages the late Los Angeles Lakers icon & my 2nd favorite basketball player of all-time Kobe Bryant behind Michael Jordan while maintaining a boom bap vibe leading into the darker “Embers” makes the world burn with their respective outlooks on rap & lastly “Alarm” finishing by hopping over horns taking more jabs at their opposition.

Strictly 4 My D.U.M.P.E.R.Z. & Bloodspiller both have their individual standouts such as “B2G$” & “Rock Lava” respectively, but Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12 leans heavier between Jay & Fahim’s chemistry as the predecessor last month teased that ends with what’s my new favorite collaborative effort of the 3 they’ve done. Craven’s production draws from drumless, boom bap & chipmunk soul for both Atlanta spotters to lay out hardcore lyricism for approximately 14 minutes.

Score: 4/5

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RJ Payne – “Sinnerz” review

New York emcee & revered battle rapper RJ Payne formerly known as Reign Man dropping his 16th EP. Building up an extensive solo catalogue for himself with 24 mixtapes as well as well as his last dozen EPs & 4 full-length albums, Benny the Butcher even signed RJ to Black Soprano Family Records for a brief period of time & putting out some of best material like Leatherface & Square Root of a Kilo under Benny’s ever-growing indie label of his own. My Life’z a Movie produced by Stu Bangas quickly became my favorite LP in RJ’s discography & Enemy Soil Entertainment in-house producer C-Lance went on a trip with him to The Barbershop, coming off Erick Sermon producing a 3-Piece & Drega33 fully producing Triangle D’or to team up with Cartune Beatz on Sinners.

After the “Let Me In” intro, the first song “Stacks” hooks up a bare slowed down sample to refer himself as royalty in the flesh whereas “Sammy’s Guitar” takes the chipmunk soul route instrumentally hoping that everyone has accepted their fate. “Ryan Coogler” warns not to make him come to your house for cleaning only leaving nothing behind but the bill & “Land of the Sinner” soulfully talks about his heart being bigger than his patience, but then “Smoke” wraps up Sinnerz with 1 last drumless observing a glitch in the game.

Furthering the acclaim of 3-Piece & Triangle D’or, the Reign Man’s consistent 2025 run carries on with another EP that will likely go down as amongst the best RJ has ever done similarly to both predecessors I mentioned earlier. Cartune Beatz’ production here goes for a primarily drumless sound further pulling from chipmunk soul & RJ refrains from having guests once again to spit the Payne fans have come to love him for.

Score: 4/5

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