PinkPantheress – “Fancy That” review

PinkPantheress is a 24 year old singer/songwriter & producer from Bath, Somerset, England, United Kingdom catching the eye of Elektra Records for her first couple EPs To Hell with It including at least 3 remixes I like more than the original versions & Take Me Home to high acclaim. Warner Records later brought her over to establish herself as a dominant force in modern alt-pop & contemporary R&B on her full-length debut Heaven Knows, teasing a sophomore effort with her 3rd EP.

“Illegal” begins the EP sampling “Dark & Long”by Underworld to delve into a relationship that she’s trying to keep on the low with the fear of being caught in mind by the public eye whereas the original version “Girl Like Me” excluding the KAYTRANADA remix samples “Romeo” by Basement Jaxx & Kele Le Roc during the hook talking about not being a fan of the way things are moving.“Tonight” goes for a dance-pop, bassline, speed garage & contemporary R&B direction flipping “Do You Know What I’m Seeing?” by Panic! At the Disco expressing a mature side to herself while “Stars” is pretty much a homage to “Starz in Their Eyes” by Just Jack.

After an intermission, “Noises” explains the feeling of uneasiness while being home alone making good use of a Nardo Wick sample as somebody who’s not a big fan of his own music just before “Nice to Know You” samples “Spiral” by William Orbit, Kenna & the Sugababes singing about being a mess. “Stateside” explores her growth as an artist with it’s use of breakbeat, dance-pop, nu skool breaks, breakstep, UK street soul & big beat explaining her dating life pretty much being only long distance relationships & “Romeo” sampling “Good Luck” by Basement Jaxx finishes likening her & her partner to Romeo & Juliet

Representing everything kitsch & UK-centric, PinkPantheress continues to break ground as one of the biggest popstars of this decade taking on board with what appealed to her during the recording process of Fancy That using dance-pop, UK garage, 2-step, contemporary R&B, alt-pop, breakbeat, nu skool breaks, breakstep, UK street soul, bassline & speed garage to make it feel like a statement is being made with the 9 track EP clocking at 20 & a half minutes.

Score: 4.5/5

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No Windows – “The Great Traitor” review

No Windows are an indie rock duo from Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom consisting of guitarist, bassist & drummer Morgan Morris alongside lead single Verity Slangen. Releasing their first 2 EPs No Windows & Fish Boy independently, they would land a deal with Fat Possum Records to take themselves to the next level on Point Nemo last spring & are back a little over a whole year later to do it again by putting out their 4th EP.

“Brown Bear” is this acoustic intro singing about feeling a lot clearer now than she did in the past whereas “Return” was a great indie rock lead acknowledging not hiding how they feel very well & their uncleanliness with the water being unclear as it already is. “Tricky” keeps it stripped back lyrically exploring the concepts of love & infatuation while “Sugarcoat” sings about being fucked from the start. “Old Chain Pier” is an indie rock ballad finding oneself at a stage in life no longer looking back in disgust & “Easter Island” acoustically wraps up the EP feeling worst in the mornings.

The Great Traitor expands No Windows’ sonic territory even further by leaving the more familiar indie traits behind in favour of lush, psychedelic arrangements that take their cues from 70s chamber pop & Jon Brion. Produced with Ali Chant, the recording process took them out of Morgan’s DIY bedroom set-up & into a studio where they had access to a breadth of instruments that allowed for more exploration across the EP’s 6 tracks marking a transitional period for the duo both as a band & as individuals.

Score: 3.5/5

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Rafa – “Madman” review

Here we have the 4th EP from Detroit rapper Rafa. Coming up as a member of the WRLD Tour Mafia a few years ago, he would also begin a solo career of his own starting on Thanksgiving 2020 with his debut EP Not for Household Use & followed it up earlier this year in the form his debut tape Dog$hit & Ammunition. The eponymous mixtape was a pivotal point in his career & Good Girls Don’t Exist from last spring was a superior EP, coming off R.A.F.A. (Rockstars Are Fucking Awesome) to take us on a journey through the mind of a Madman only 48 hours after Samoa Joe of the AEW World Trios Champions The Opps defeated former AEW World Trios Champion, 2-time CZW World Tag Team Champion, JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champion, PWG World Champion, RPW British Tag Team Champion, 2-time ROH World Champion, 2-time ROH World Tag Team Champion, WWE United States Champion & 7-time WWE tag team champion Claudio Castagnoli at the Masonic Temple for this week’s AEW Dynamite on the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned tbs.

“DOOM” is this horn-inflicted Detroit trap intro talking about all these muhfuckas lifestyles being incomparable to his whereas “Fuck What You Sayin’” goes for a cloudier approach instrumentally calling WRLD Tour the new Dipset & I can even complain. “Rick James” keeps it going talking about how we could see right through these haters while “Chrome Levi Denims” shows off the kind of jeans he’s wearing.

WTM Solid joins Rafa for “Dub Edition” continuing to bring a Detroit trap flare to the table discussing their lifestyles just before “How U Feel Twin” turns up the psychedelia so he can tell us exactly the way he feelin’ & giving a middle finger to anyone who wants to go up against his squad. “Dirty Faygos” atmospherically declares his love for mixing codeine with the local soda brand Faygo leading into “Ozzy” of course references Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne.

The song “Cornhuskers” kicks off the final leg of Madman by talking about being that muhfucka making plays & refusing to let anyone eat if they ain’t putting in the hustle while “What’s New?” suggests that an individual who went against him should stay where he’s already at since Rafa’s through with him at this point. The outro heavily builds itself around some synthesizers making it clear he’s rolling dice everyday without giving a fuck.

4 months since his full-length studio debut displaying his versatility through the usage of cloud rap alongside rap rock & rage, Rafa’s back portraying himself to be a Madman after initially opening the diaries a few months ago. The production carries over the trillwave & Detroit trap elements that were present throughout R.A.F.A. (Rockstars Are Fucking Awesome), except the rage & rap rock undertones are both being left out of the equation.

Score: 3.5/5

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Naomi Sharon – “The Only Love We Know” review

Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands singer/songwriter Naomi Sharon with a brand new EP. Starting in 2018 with her debut single “Breeze”, she would go on to release 4 more singles until Toronto, Ontario, Canada superstar Drake signed her to OVO Sound for an impressive debut Obsidian giving a refreshing take on the way the label delivers alternative R&B going beyond that in favor of neo-soul, afrobeats, afro house, downtempo, sophisti-pop, deep house, ambient pop & smooth soul. Year & half later, Naomi’s back to address The Only Love We Know.

“Bittersweet” is a passionate intro asking if her & her partner can simply be while “Can We Do This Over?” works in elements of smooth soul, sophisti-pop, downtempo, contemporary R&B & neo-soul asking for a redo since she doesn’t want closure. “Calm Waters” finds her wishing on a star pleading to be in the presence of her romantic interest again while “Soft Like Dawn” sings about things not feeling sane when you’re unsure & drifting away.

The song “Feels Like Home” portrays herself as a woman who deserves better despite sharing in her current relationship & the title track produced the EP’s executive producer Jordan Ullman of Majid Jordan closes out the transformative successor to Obsidian showing some gospel influences reflecting on the time she spent with her ex-husband Jamie Sun.

Aiming to exceed the high expectations her debut had set, Naomi easily clears the new Drake & PARTYNEXTDOOR collab album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U and Roy Wood$’ most recent EP Dark Nights diving into the emotional complexity of moving on from experiences that no longer serve your happiness. Jordan’s honest chemistry with OVO’s First Lady crafts a solid base of intricate sophisti-pop, alternative R&B, downtempo, neo-soul & adult contemporary for a journey through the beautiful, the broken & everything in between.

Score: 3.5/5

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P-Rawb – “Time & Space” review

Brand new EP from New Jersey/Pennsylvania based MC P-Rawb. Getting his start in as 1/2 of The Jerzadelphians with Shane Great, the duo would put out Era of the Getback on Black Friday 2019 & P eventually linked up with London, England, United Kingdom producer Big O to have him handle all the beats on his solo debut The Complexity at the beginning of 2021. Obviously it’s been quite some time since we’ve last heard from the Jerzadelphian & hearing that he was getting back with Big O for Time & Space was destined to be something noteworthy.

After the “Follow My Lead” intro, the first song “Rise to the Top” takes it right to the basement boasting that he’s been swinging his sword over some prominent horns during the hook whereas “Hard Pressed” works in some synthesizers talking about live being a test filled with pain & stress. “Power Within (Searchin’)” featuring Fashawn finds the pair teaming up so they can discuss looking for a new dawn & “For the Gods” featuring L.O.U. & Rxlph ends with the trio talking about seeing y’all at the finishing line.

In honor of The Complexity celebrating its 4-year anniversary at the start of 2025, Time & Space reflects the journey P-Rawb & Big O have taken in both mentally & musically since the last time we’ve heard them together on wax by taking on a fresh sound & new perspective. You can really hear the growth between each of them whether it be Big O’s production skills evolving or the deeply personal topics P covers in the 18 minute duration.

Score: 4/5

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André 3000 – “7 Piano Sketches” review

Brand new surprise 3rd EP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee, singer/songwriter, producer, actor & the Prince of hip hop André 3000. Coming up as 1/2 of the greatest hip hop duo of all-time OutKast with Big Boi whom he met at Lenox Square Mall when they were both 16, they were also a part of the Dungeon Family collective & released some of my favorite music EVER! This includes ATLiens, Aquemini, Stankonia & Speakerboxxx / The Love Below. The 2nd disc of which was basically the closest thing we got to a solo album from 3 Stacks up to this point. However after what would eventually be their final album Idlewild serving as a soundtrack to the movie of the same name, they would focus on their solo careers. Francis the Savannah Chitlin’ Pimp mostly notably putting out 3 full-length LPs of his own as well as an eponymous EP as Big Grams & an eponymous debut album as Big Sleepover too. André 3000 however stuck to doing features & pursuing an acting career, putting out an avant-garde jazz EP on Mother’s Day 2018 called Look Ma No Hands & signing to Epic Records for the new age ambient-driven solo debut New Blue Sun to critical acclaim. Moving Day was a fine collection of 2 outtakes from the New Blue Sun sessions & has laid out 7 Piano Sketches out of nowhere.

“Bluffing in the Snow” was a great intro to the EP showing off his keyboardist abilities for 3 minutes whereas “& Then One Day You’ll…” works in some more cumbersome tone to the notes he’s playing further assuming “die” to be the missing word in the title of the composition prior to the 34 second “When You’re a Ant & You Wake Up in an Awesome Mood About to Drive Your Son to School Only to Discover You Left the Lights on in the Car Last Night, So Your Battery is Drained” interlude.

The name “Hotel Lobby Pianos” goes for that exact vibe feeling like I’m walking into Circa Resort & Casino or any other high quality resort on the verge of checking in just before “Blueberry Mansions” turns it up on the luxuriousness for almost a couple minutes. “Off Rhythm Laughter” lives up to its name playing the piano overlapping a laughing sample that’s not on rhythm. “I Spend All Day Waiting for the Night” finishes by adding some drums in the fold for a climatic closer that I can hear at the end of a show or a movie.

Not too shocked to see people complaining about him doing anything except dropping a whole hip hop album but like I said when I reviewed New Blue Sun: André 3000 is literally one of those guys who can do just about anything & can find a way to pull it off. Instead of him using woodwinds like he did on that LP & the previous EP Moving Day, he’s playing the piano with hints of spoken word because of every track starting with the track number & title being said out loud for an easy listening experience.

Score: 3.5/5

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The Pharcyde – “Timeless” review

The Pharcyde is a pioneering alternative hip hop crew from Los Angeles, California now consisting of Fatlip, Imani & Slimkid3. Originally a quartet, their first couple albums Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde & Labcabincalifornia would become some of the most beloved in the west coast scene. Plain Rap was more moderately received with Humboldt Beginnings & Spear of the Nation both leaving fans divided, looking to bounce back on this brand new EP & the 2nd one in their whole discography.

“Citrus Nioxide” featuring Danny Brown & produced by Rockwilder kicks off the 4-track run with everyone talking about having the answers to the questions on them always catchin’ em on the downslide whereas “Oscar” is the only song I could do without here suggesting they should be awarded for acting the way they do. The title track works in some prominent piano chords thanks to Rick Rock advising not to let life pass you by & “Phabulous” soulfully ties it up with the help of Khrysis reminding everyone who they are.

Nearly 3 years after reuniting without Bootie Brown as a trio, Timeless connects The Pharcyde’s legacy of offbeat humor as well as their jazz-laced beats & unconventional lyricism with a new era of experimental hip hop. With them being away from the scene for almost 2 decades, they took the time to highlight producers they’ve been fans of & help them craft the strongest batch of late career material in their arson.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tayo – “Bye” review

Seattle, Washington up-&-coming rapper & producer Tayo releasing his 7th EP. Originally starting under the moniker ByeTayo, he started on SoundCloud close around Halloween 2021 off his first few EPs Crash on Purpose as well as Inside Voices & PM the following year. He would later go on applying pressure with couple more EPs in wintr & a sequel to PM, coming off Thank You Tayo roughly 8 months ago so he can take himself to newer levels both artistically & personally on Bye.

The plugg-driven intro “19” talks about keeping a Glock on his hip & having a lot of money for not being in his 20s yet whereas “short dork” works in more synthesizers to suggest he’s thinking too much. “Tobacco Vanille” was a great choice of a plugg single suggesting he’d die if he can get any more flyer than he is now & “DJ Phat” gives his flowers to the iconic New Jersey deejay notable in modern trap.

“Rainbow 6” was another tight single building up the release of this EP talking about him needing somebody to lean on & having what others don’t just before the self-produced “wtf” gets even heavier with the synthesizers for a pluggnb track even if Tayo’s singing feels reminiscent to Lil Yachty at certain points. “pink 10” turns the distortion up a little to talk about doing pills while “text her” playfully contemplate hitting up his girl.

“nun (text her 2)” nears the end of the EP with some bubbly synth melodies taking a melancholic approach than he did on the predecessor while “me & you” reflects on him kickin’ it with a chick in a hotel room for 105 seconds approximately. “get up” continues the plugg vibes telling his girl that he doesn’t even wanna fuck & “matters” finishes Bye wondering if she leaving or not.

5 months ago when RRoxket put out his eponymous mixtape last Black Friday, I had mentioned him as somebody to watch out for in the plugg scene & Tayo makes it a point to insert himself in the conversation merely 4 weeks after Rixhie Rixh 2 came out. My favorite aspect of Bye easily has to be the plugg-heavy production & although the Seattle artist isn’t a bad performer by any means, he has more than enough time to gradually evolve going forward.

Score: 3.5/5

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JPEGMAFIA – “We Live in a Society” review

Here we have the 5th EP from Baltimore emcee, singer, producer & visionary JPEGMAFIA. Breaking out almost a decade ago off his full-length debut Black Ben Carson, it wouldn’t be until the man’s next 2 albums Veteran & All My Heroes are Cornballs where he would reveal himself as one of the most creative minds in hip hop today. The 8-track EP, it’s follow-up with almost all newly recorded material, LP!, the Danny Brown collab effort Scaring the Hoes & Peggy’s production credits on both of ¥$’ albums Vultures & Vultures 2. We got a deluxe version of I Lay Down My Life for You that I highly enjoyed last summer & is teaming up with Flume so he can produce We Live in a Society.

“Track 1” starts off as a spoken word piece up until the drop during the 2nd half of it whereas “Is It Real” feels more of an Ravyn Lenae cut since Peggy only handles the hook singing about if the love they have is legitimate. “AI Girlfriend” humorously pokes fun at the concept of being romantically involved with artificial intelligence probably because of Kim Kardashian dating a Tesla robot these days while “The Ocean’s Fake” ends by admitting not even know when to see this individual again & goin’ back in time for them.

Being a big fan of the visionary take JPEGMAFIA has had on experimental hip hop on top of Flume’s influence in the wonky scene, both of these worlds collide for a quick 16 & a half minute EP meshing each of those individual styles together. Flume’s production here also contains hints of cloud rap, alternative R&B as prominently shown on the Ravyn Lenae song, industrial hip hop & a dash of sketch comedy as a way of holding Peggy fans off until it’s time for his new album whenever that may be.

Score: 3.5/5

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Benny the Butcher – “Excelsior” review

Buffalo, New York emcee Benny the Butcher returning after 9 months for his 9th EP. Being in the game for 2 decades already, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Harry Fraud came in for a sequel to the latter following the mature Burden of Proof & finally, Tana Talk 4 took it back to the basement a couple years back. Coming off having Hit-Boy produce half of it & leaving the other half to The Alchemist produce his Def Jam Recordings debut Everybody Can’t Go along with both Summertime Butch & Buffalo Butch back-to-back, Excelsior’s looking to refine the styles of those predecessors.

After the “Corner” intro, the first song “I’m the Program” is this symphonic boom bap opener suggesting you gotta laugh at life sometimes whereas “Sign Language” works in a vocal sample thanks to Harry Fraud living in the moment since too much going on. “$ & Power” featuring Skylar Blatt dabbles with trap courtesy of Daringer wanting those 2 things while “Duffel Bag Hottie’s Revenge” featuring Boldy James talks about the B$F artist currently behind bars. “Toxic” featuring Styles P returns to the boom bap to unite the Butcher with the Ghost until “B$F” featuring Fuego Base & Sule ends by repping their set.

With Excelsior, Benny continues to cement his place as one of the most important & vital voices in hip hop today continuing his evolution becoming reactivated in summertime mode with the streets watching & the culture listening. Some have jumped off the porch early & understood the game instantly, others took a lil time & some needed their hand held in every aspect and was only good at riding coattails. Then you have got people like him who’re The Chosen Few.

Score: 3.5/5

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