Dax Riggs – “7 Songs for Spiders” review

This is a brand new EP from Houma, Louisiana singer/songwriter Dax Riggs. The frontman of the seminal sludge metal band Acid Bath, he began releasing music under his own name in the summer of 2007 after signing to Fat Possum Records for his solo debut We Sing of Only Blood or Love & the sophomore effort Say Goodnight to the World. 15 years later, he returning to jot down 7 Songs for Spiders coinciding with labelmate Ghais Guevara’s debut album Goyard Ibn Said.

“Deceiver” sets the tone of what’s to come with this swamp rock, heavy psych, stoner rock & garage rock revival intro now realizing exactly how the Son of Sam feels whereas “Sunshine Felt the Darkness Smile” passionately sings about Jesus never laughing & Satan never crying. “Even the Stars Fall” is an alt-blues meditation on human collapse and how failure creates the only heaven we’ll ever know while “Blues for You Know Who” kinda riffs showing his love for Lebanese & Egyptian music.

The song “Ain’t That Darkness” gets the other half of 7 Songs for Spiders going slowly singing about darkness spinning across his guitar while the penultimate track “Pagan Moon” asks a young man if he even knows he’s dying & that his darkness is shining. “Graveyard Soul” rounds out the EP officially hauntingly pondering where & when one lost their junkyard smile.

Inspired by world music in addition to gospel music as well as hillbilly or even the proto-metal sounds & the Cajun landscape, Dax’ first solo effort in over 15 years feels like as if he hasn’t been gone for that lone tackling themes of human beings collapsing in upon themselves, sympathy for the villain, God & what your gods tell you about yourself fusing stoner rock with swamp rock, heavy psych, garage rock revival & alt-blues.

Score: 4.5/5

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King Syze, Planetary & Reef the Lost Cauze – “Murderers’ Row” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emcees King Syze, Planetary & Reef the Lost Cauze coming together for a brand new collaborative EP produced by the Snowgoons. All 3 of whom are members of the Army of the Pharaohs collective, with Planetary making up the duo OuterSpace alongside King Syze’s brother Crypt the Warchilda year prior to AotP’s formation. Reef on the other hand did a stellar collab EP with King Syze a decade ago called Year of the Hyenas & are getting back together on Murderers’ Row with Planetary by their side.

After the titular intro, the first song “Yard Rec” is this boom bap opener talking about everyone listening up in case they don’t know by know whereas “Royal Family” featuring Planetary’s children ELEMXNT joined by Kxng Charisma & Trxstworthy serves as the only track without Reef the Lost Cauze talking about liking scary things. “The Most Imperial” grimily lets everyone know the type of people they stay rollin’ with just before “Heat Wave” talks there being too many lames.

“Death Penalty” gets the other half of the EP going by working in this piano-driven boom bap instrumental warning everyone that last year was their last year while “187” find a trio of setting out to make murdering an artform. The closing track “Something Outta Nothing” officially rounds out Murderers’ Row by mobbin’, stealin’, grindin’ & hustlin’ in order for them to achieve the goal they’re going for.

Year of the Hyenas holds a very special place in my heart since it came out in the winter of 2014 during my senior year of high school & I played it heavily then since it was one of the most stressful time periods of my life, but Murderers’ Row recaptures the energy of that previous collab EP & adds Reef the Lost Cauze into the equation excellently. The Snowgoons’ signature boom bap production combined with the performances from each AotP member make for an exciting hardcore hip hop experience.

Score: 4.5/5

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Gloom Unit – “Come Heavy II: Mo Heavy” review

This is the 2nd EP from west coast horrorcore duo the Gloom Unit consisting of Acetone Boogie & Frankie Goldie. One of whom comes straight out of Tucson, Arizona & the other representing Sin City Las Vegas, Nevada respectively as part of the Swamp Society collective. Acetone’s been putting it down for the underground for over a decade at this point putting out a total of 3 solo LPs as of me writing this review & Frankie has been establishing himself artistically by doing a couple features & even releasing 2 solo singles. Come Heavy last New Year’s Day produced by Devereaux was a phat introduction to the unit & are returning 12 months later unloading Mo Heavy.

After the “Mo Heavy” intro, the first song “Money Makin’” is a dark-synth trap opener telling everyone to move out the way so they can get to the bread whereas “Honey Berry” takes a tropical trap vibe to the beat getting on their Gloom type shit. “D.M.M.D.I. (Devil Made Me Do It)” heads for a cloudier direction asking for people to check their shit in since they need it leading into “Denzel” calling for the roof to burn.

“No Sleep” continues the other half of Come Heavy II: Mo Heavy by Frankie Goldie atmospherically gettin’ on his count-up shit while “Raindance” manically declares that the Unit be running every piece of the underground at this point. “This is How It Endz” wraps up the duo’s 2nd EP with an Acetone Boogie solo cut that he dropped last spring by working in some sampling walking alone under the moonlight.

Over a whole year since Come Heavy marked their introduction to the the world, the Gloom Unit are back with another EP carrying over every single thing that made it’s predecessor a fun New Year’s listen as Devereaux expands on their dark trap sound in favor of drawing inspiration from cloud rap to the Memphis scene & both MCs leveling up their chemistry after a whole 54 weeks.

Score: 4.5/5

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Logic – “Aquarius III” review

Maryland rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, author & Twitch streamer Logic preluding Phonkadelic with a new EP. Emerging just over a decade ago off the strength of the first 3 installments of the Young Sinatra mixtape series. His potential would continually be shown on his first 2 albums Under Pressure & The Incredible True Story. However, it’s no secret that the quality of his music took a nosedive from Bobby Tarantino to Supermarket or the unlikeable bitterness of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. No Pressure however was a mature sequel to his full-length debut & I also thought the Doc D concept mixtape Planetory Destruction was decent too, but Bobby Tarantino III was pretty underwhelming. His final offering for Def Jam Recordings that dropped couple summers ago Vinyl Days happened to be his most artistically definitive yet. College Park & Ultra 85 was his strongest since Vinyl Days, but is compiling leftovers from that recent LP onto Aquarius III.

“This is the Way” samples ”Sittin’ Sidewayz” by Paul Wall thanks to Bobby Boy Records in-house producer 6 talking about rappin’ until he’s dead & gone whereas the self-produced “French Dispatch” takes a groovier route instrumentally explaining that music, family & movies are his 3 favorite things. “Not a Game” playfully suggests a change in the rap game while “Universe” nocturnally talks getting paper courtesy of Soundtrakk & the weight off his shoulders. “A Message From My Younger Self” rounds out the EP with a spoken word piece that was recorded in the summer of 2011.

Phonkadelic is said to be a huge stylistic departure for Logic since Juicy J will be executive producing it & the overall sound will be influenced by the phonk subgenre of trap artists like the $uicideboy$ & more recently Ouija Macc have become known for, so for Bobby to drop off an EP’s worth of Ultra 85 outtakes will do fine until then. The production continues to be more interesting now that he’s been off a major label for a few years at this point & the themes of these tracks would’ve fit in with the rest of his previous album without any objection.

Score: 3.5/5

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Jae Skeese – “40 Hours” review

Buffalo, New York emcee Jae Skeese is back for the 4th EP in his discography. Starting in 2010 off his debut mixtape W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks), it wasn’t until a decade later where he & 7xvethegenius gained wide exposure as the first signees to Conway the Machine’s very own Drumwork Music Group. The Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd EP Authenticity Check & the sophomore effort Abolished Uncertainties both elevated Skeese’s popularity in the last couple years. Coming off the Superior-produced Testament of the Times & elevating from Ground Level though, he’s starting 2025 right by putting 40 Hours in.

“Balance Inquiry” is this jazzy boom bap intro wanting to know what the holdup exactly is whereas “Rotary Phone” talking about the real ones always breaching through the walls at the end of the day. “Buffganistan” featuring Glueski dabbles with trap trading back-&-forth refusing to go broke while “FedEx” works the kicks & snares back up to talk about piecing it all together.

The song “Strike!” featuring K Pi$tol & Lil Jonezy reaches the backend of 40 Hours vibrantly boasting that this shit be larger than life itself leading into “Way Up” featuring Scoop Dolla fusing soul & jazz rap 1 time for ya mind. “Round & Round” concludes the EP hopping over a sample to read between the lines talking about finding once you set out to seek. The first bonus track “Toast Up” links with Ill Tone warming up for something greater & “Banditland” featuring Chasè Scanz ends the deluxe with a triumphant ode to Buffalo.

Looking to put on a handful of local artists & a couple producers, Skeese delivers vibes & bars for the Drumwork fanbase although I personally find myself gravitating towards the Ground Level mixtape that he delivered last summer. The production a lot like that previous body of work balances boom bap & trap except its predecessor contains stronger feature performances.

Score: 3/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4” review

Remember when I said Tha God Fahim & one of the best producers of this decade Nicholas Craven wrapped up the Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap trilogy couple weeks ago? They’re picking up where they felt off on Fahim’s 50th EP. 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. That said: He’s been on a CRAZY ass run in 2023 with the standouts being 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, Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays produced by Mike Shabb, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth. Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. Continuing the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga that later had a 2nd & 3rd installment of their own however, Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4 is now upon us.

“GFY” is this sample-driven opener flexing that he fathered some of these styles in the underground with a resume that very much checks out whereas the soulful “Got Game” reminding everyone that it’s about what you bring to the table. “I Don’t Care” hooks up some strings so he can call himself the final boss of rap & the classy “Muscle Mass” talks about seeing people do a whole switch.

The song “Plot Armor” gets the other half of the EP going for a soulful boom bap route instrumentally referring to himself as a metric ton being compared to grams while “Questions & Answers” keeps the kicks & snares in tact to talk about his colossal posture sampling soul music once more. “Righteous Skills” wraps up Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4 with a jazzier sound flexing that he’s turned negatives to positive many times in his career.

Many people regard the original Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap trilogy to be mid, but he’s continuing the saga by ending 2024 strong & coming in 2025 even stronger since it’s general sound is more very compared to its predecessors. Nicholas Craven’s sample-heavy production draws inspiration from boom bap to drumless, chipmunk soul & jazz rap dumpin’ lyrical heat for 17 minutes.

Score: 4.5/5

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Diamond D – “The Diam Piece 3: Duo” review

The Bronx, New York emcee/producer Diamond D continuing the final installment of The Diam Piece trilogy. A mentor of Jazzy Jay, he would then form the D.I.T.C. collective alongside Lord Finesse & Showbiz in ‘92 only to put out his classic full-length debut Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop shortly after. D went on to drop 6 more albums & a couple mixtapes of his own, the latest being Gotham’s acclaimed self-titled effort & The Rear View. The Diam Piece & it’s sequel left most of the rhyming to the guests, coming off Initium from this summer by putting out Duo.

“I’m Not Crazy” by B-Real & Everlast is this rap rock intro suggesting that the whole world’s insane whereas “T.S.N.Y. (The Sound of New York)” by NEMS, Prayah, Saigon & Tons takes the boom bap route instrumentally telling everyone who ain’t with the vibes to get lost. “My DJ Spits Betta Than U” by Da Inphamus Amadeuz, Doo Wop & Kid Capri samples “Monochrome” by Alan Parker boasting that the DJs are better on the mic than a lot of these guys nowadays leading into “Casket Fresh” by Chip Fu, Kardinal Offishall & Peedi Crakk brings the trio together to make sure you look good when they bury you.

Diamond D himself temporarily joins Sadat X on the funky, flute-tinged “Get with It” talking about everyone being a rapper now just before “Hyenas” by Reef Hustle, Shortee Sha & Tek returns to the boom bap bringing it hardcore. “Weed, Sex & Cars” by Camp Lo playfully expresses their desire for all those things leading into the synth-driven “It’s Up 2 Me” by Junk & 4-IZE talking about being here for a while. “Ride the Wave” energetically shares the mic linking up with Aftermath Entertainment in-house producer Focus… telling everyone to approach them with caution prior to “Keep on Steppin’” by Boog Brown, Camari & Lady Luck finishing it up with a cool gospel flip as the ladies speak to the Higher Power.

Of the 2 installments of The Diam Piece trilogy chapter, I find myself preferring Initium still in comparison although I still very much enjoy it whether it be continuing the series’ knack for allowing Diamond D to take a backseat as an MC with a few occasional spots here & there allowing a myriad of guests to do what they do best over his signature boom bap production. I’d finally be remised if I didn’t mention there are some dope influences of rap rock along with funk & a hint of gospel music including a sample I haven’t heard since one of my all-time favorite 7L & Esoteric cuts “Watch Me” off their classic sophomore effort Dangerous Connection.

Score: 3.5/5

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Doggystyleeee – “Blame It on My Crippin’” review

San Bernardino, California emcee Doggystyleeee linking up with longtime collaborator AC3Beats for his 4th EP. Emerging in the fall of 2019 off his full-length debut Into Somethin’, he would go on to put out his last 3 EPs as well as 5 mixtapes & a couple more albums garnering interest to the point where WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg whose cousin Mercedes Moné is the current AEW tbs Champion, 新日本プロレス STRONG女子チャンピオン & now RPW British Women’s Champion this past week following the current AEW International Champion 竹下幸之介 becoming the new NEVER無差別級チャンピオン at レスリング • キングダム19 almost signed him to Death Row Records not too long after purchasing the label from MNRK Music Group to revive it. His last tape No Features Needed dropped last summer holding down a half hour’s worth of material by himself without any guests.

“Nightmare Off Evan’s St.” samples the Halloween theme for a g-funk intro warning that you’ll get shot if you fuck around with him whereas “Bacc on My Bullshit” throws it back even further to the early 90s west coast scene refusing to hang with lames. “Don’t Claim Me” clarifies that he doesn’t have a bitch currently while “Footsteps” embraces the g-funk sound further telling his new romantic interest to keep it g.

Trizz joins Doggystyleeee on “I Bet You Never Had” maintains a g-funk flare as they tell the women that they’re currently seeing they ain’t never had anyone like them just before “Nothin’ Like Yo Last” featuring Big Motion, Judy Drama, Rae Monique & $inClar3 comes off as a female counterpart of the previous track. The song “On Safety” brings the g-funk vibes back tryna find his way & “Nothin’ 2 Somethin’” ends by reflecting on his success.

Gearing up for his upcoming 4th album set to come later on in the year, Blame It on My Crippin’ preludes it with Doggystyleeee got one of the very producers who’s always brought the best outta him since he started to blow to help him craft a 24 & a half minute 8-track EP putting a bit of a new school twist on the g-funk gangsta rap that dominated the westside 3 decades ago.

Score: 4/5

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The Inner Realmz – “Mass Collide” review

This is a brand new EP from California production team The Inner Realmz. Founded by Masta Cypher Devine & Goomson, they’ve been making waves in the west coast underground scene since the beginning of the current decade off their first 2 beat tapes SP 1000 and Build & Destroy followed by Low End Wizards as well as it’s sequel & Digital Chains. Goomson so happened to team up with Broke a year & a half ago for a collaborative beat tape Heavy Wreck displaying Broke’s talents behind the boards for Side A & of course Goomson on Side B except for Masta Cypher Devine doing the closer. Omnipotent masterfully selected & arranged jazz samples catching my attention this spring so with that in mind, it had me interested in where Mass Collide was gonna take it.

After the dusty “Fuck ‘Em” intro built around sampling a piano, the first track “Roughneck Reality” starts us off with a 4-minute boom bap instrumental that Goomson cooked up himself whereas “Passin’ Thru” feels like an old school beat that sounds like it was made in the early ‘90s. The keys throughout “Stress” feel every exuberant with the kicks & snares giving it a raw edge, but then “Don’t Shut Down on a Player” is ends the first half of the EP with a nostalgic vibe.

“Funky on the Track” lives up to it’s name excellently for 119 seconds blending elements of funk music & boom bap while “Misery” by Sirrealist & Vel 9 is the only cut on here with performed vocals, bringing them together talking about only seeing unhappiness & affliction. “Outra Vez” serves as the official outro hooking up a mellow backdrop with kicks & snares, but then the bonus track serves as a sequel to “Kick a Freestyle” off Chapter 1.

Masta Cypher Devine left the group a little while ago hence why he didn’t have any involvement in making these beats at all & even Goomson saves his production skills for a couple joints, but Jon Deliz alongside Mike B & Ripe143 take up a bulk of the 23 minute listening experience by showing off what they’re capable of doing as producers & keeping The Inner Realmz’ jazzy boom bap sound going strong.

Score: 3.5/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 3” review

Tha 70 Tape Legend himself Tha God Fahim getting back with Nicholas Craven for his 49th EP. 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. That said: dude has been on a CRAZY ass run in 2023 with the standouts being 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, Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays produced by Mike Shabb, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth. Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. We got a 2nd AND a 3rd installment of Tha Myth Who Never Quit couple months ago but coming off Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap & the sequel, it’s time to close out the trilogy.

“The Intent of Vengeance” kicks off Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 3 with a soulful boom bap instrumental talking about having to get right because shit could possibly change tonight whereas “Bullet Proof Confidence” works in some keys, kicks & snares flexing that his self-assurance is indestructible. The piano sample on “Senzu” feels reminiscent to “On My Block” by Scarface to talk about him still having it lyrically just before “Not for Sale” wants to know if you’re a foe or friend to him.

Getting the other half going, “Heavy Handed” brings a soulfully dusty flare back to the table comparing his longevity to current Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James while “Kumite” Keeps it in the basement instrumentally promising to waste y’all like it’s Grand Theft Auto. “Makankosappo” ruggedly promised to take everyone’s words regarding him & making them eat ‘em at the end leading into “A Step Further” closing it out telling everyone to be good sports watching him making half court shots.

Ending his 2024 with a bang, the Dump Gawd teases big things coming down the pipe throughout 2025 by completing another trilogy of projects with one of the greatest producers of this current decade firstly. Nicholas Craven’s production carries on the boom bap emphasis both prior installments of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap series had put on themselves 6-7 weeks ago & Fahim outdoes himself from a lyrical standpoint.

Score: 4.5/5

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