O.T. the Real – “Cost of Living” review

Philadelphia emcee O.T. the Real following up Moving Base O.T.’s eponymous debut in the form of his 8th EP. Getting his start in the underground back in 2016 after coming home from prison & dropping his debut single “Papercuts”, his profile began to grow from there after showcasing his skills on radio stations or dropping 7 albums as well as a mixtape & his last 7 EPs. My favorites being the Heatmakerz-produced 3rd EP The Irishman& the DJ Green Lantern-produced 3rd album Broken Glass that dropped on my 25th birthday & the Statik Selektah produced Maxed Out. No Matter What, Desperation of December, It’s Almost Over & Red Summer were all hit or miss for me until O.T. finally signed to Black Soprano Family Records & enlisted araabMUZIK for Zombie to critical acclaim. Prepare for War & Pale Horse were ok, but Nickel Plated producing Cost of Living happened to peak my interest.

“Kicked” begins by hopping on top of this eerie boom bap instrumental putting listeners on game teaching that there are only 3 types of people in this world whereas “Mahomes” works in more kicks & snares with eerie piano chords referencing the titular Kansas City Chiefs quarterback. “Eminem” morbidly talks about having a white girl in the trunk much like the titular Detroit icon’s now deceased alter ego Slim Shady just before “Footstep” declares putting his trust in the scales over bitches.

Finishing the Cost of Living’s first leg, “Blow” ruggedly suggests getting rid of the cocaine while “Yet” starts the other half talking about how you can’t be out here drawing if you wanna keep continuing to win in the streets. After the “241” skit, “Naked” pays homage to those who never made it or never saved it when they had it while “Bridesburg” represents the titular neighborhood in his hometown. “Amputate” closes the EP cautioning that hoodie season’s coming over pianos.

Zombie was the most I’ve enjoyed a project from O.T. in nearly 2 years, the Moving Base O.T. album from a few months ago showed us the duo’s tightly raw chemistry & now this 10 track EP running at almost 19 minutes joins the latter 2 in further redeeming O.T. some of the more lackluster offerings he’s has given us in the last year & a half. Nickel Plated gets a chance to shine by cooking up a consistent batch of beats for the Philly lyricist to body.

Score: 4/5

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Alemeda – “FUCK IT” review

Alemeda is a 24 year old Sudanese-Ethiopian singer/songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona who became inspired to make music after watching the High School Musical trilogy as a heavy Disney pop-punk kid growing up. However, it wasn’t until her feature on the Hit-Boy produced highlight “Fallacy” off Ab-Soul’s 5th album Herbert at the end of 2022 were many including myself first caught onto her. Almost 22 months later, she’s celebrating her new joint deal with Top Dawg Entertainment & Warner Records by releasing her debut EP.

“I hate your face” starts on the groovy R&B tip singing that she wants to speak to whoever raised these ignorant, uneducated haters whereas “Don’t Call Me” takes the alternative rock route telling an ex of hers that she made his problems important to her & not to contact her. “Guy’s Girl” comes to the realization that the guy she used to see won’t ever change over a pop rock instrumental, but then the rock/R&B crossover “I already dug your grave” asks if he regrets the things he’s done when he’s alone.

To kick off the other half of FUCK IT, “1st Love Song” fuses pop rock with post-punk revival & bedroom pop admitting she was pissed on the evening of her partner’s birthday while “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows” swaps out the pop rock & post-punk revival influences in favor of 2-step & alternative R&B talking about being a new artist with a new style. Below the Belt” feels young as she’s ever been & old enough to know this individual never really gave her a chance over warm guitar shredding & “Not Asking for Much” is a down-tuned closer needing some summertime.

If any of you enjoyed the “Fallacy” feature like I did & have yet to check out Alemeda’s own discography, this EP is the truest expression of who she is artistically & personally. She makes her case as the newest welcoming addition of the TDE roster letting go of what doesn’t serve her & embracing the chaos and beauty of being unapologetically real through the styles of contemporary R&B, alternative rock, pop rock, post-punk revival, alternative R&B & 2-step.

Score: 3.5/5

Shakewell – “Dangerously Close” review

This is the 3rd EP from Los Angeles, California emcee Shakewell. Coming up in the spring of 2017 off his debut EP Keystone Prince, he followed it up a year later with his 2nd EP Big Juice tha Sip resulting in the $uicideboy$ signing him to G*59 Record$ right when the pandemic started & releasing the full-length debut album Pray 4 Shakewell. 2 & a half years later, he’s coming off the Shameless $uicide & Kevlar Money Bags collaborative EPs with $B & Germ respectively to get Dangerously Close.

“Grimace Shake” is this synth-driven trap opener feeling like the Prince of Keystone calling back to his breakout debut EP whereas “Life at tha Moment” kinda gives me a Mobb vibe instrumentally telling us how life’s been at that exact point recording the shit. “.40 Talkin’” featuring Ramirez grimly works in keys & hi-hats getting on the gangsta rap tip lyrically while “Gun Louder” goes off-the-top boasting he has more mags than the New York Times does. “My Beanie Gone (Lame Killer)” morbidly looks to exterminate the lames & “When “My Way” Kills” featuring SXMPRA keeps the heat for every partner in case people want beef.

Big Juice tha Sip happens to be my favorite EP in Shakewell’s discography excluding Shameless $uicide & I was hoping for him to come out with something in 2024 due to the fact it’s almost been 2 & a half years since introducing himself to the G*59 audience but if Dangerously Close is his way of holding everyone off until the official Pray 4 Shakewell follow-up, then I’ll gladly take it. Instrumentally, it’s matches the bar that his full-length set & letting people know what’s been going on since we last heard from him.

Score: 3.5/5

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Mumm Ra – “Autogod” review

This is the 2nd EP albeit Dirtcore Music debut from Chicago, Illinois emcee Mumm Ra. A member of the Mission: Infect collective, he eventually made his solo debut in 2008 with Remember the Name & the sophomore effort The AboM:Ination. His debut EP Clash of the Titans: The Return of 3rd Earth & his 3rd album The God Complex both came out back-to-back a decade ago, which later resulted in him following those up with Wrath of the Titans & House of M respectively. Madd Maxx just put out his new EP Dirtcore 24 at the beginning of the month celebrate his birthday, so it makes perfect sense to have The God kick off the Autogod trilogy.

After the “Chapter 1” intro, the first song “You Can’t Get Rid Me” produced by Crossworm is this incredibly dark opener addressing everyone who thought he was done making music whereas “Come On” talks about loyalty not being what it once was anymore over an electronic trap instrumental. “Had Enough” takes the apocalyptic trap route expressing his frustrations with rappers frontin’ while “King Omega” embraces the boom bap discussing his range being a beautiful thing. “1 Time” ends the EP dustily promising he’ll annihilate your squad.

Dirtcore has been steadily proving itself to be a dominant force within the underground ever since Crossworm started signing other artists to the label & Autogod not only proves my point further, but it has me feeling confident that the rest of the EP trilogy will go on to become some of the most important material in his discography. It’s more well-produced than some of his past material & you can really hear the reignited passion through Mumm’s verses.

Score: 4/5

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Molly Santana – “Masonic Musik” review

This is the 3rd EP & major label debut from Los Angeles, California up-&-comer Molly Santana. Originally a streetwear influencer, the Fontana native began making music in 2021 by releasing her debut EP Molly’s World as well as her debut mixtape Neptune & her 2nd EP Mélange. Her eponymous full-length debut studio album just came out this spring to moderate reception, resulting in her signing a joint deal with Victor Victor Worldwide & Capitol Records. 5 months later, she’s continuing to apply pressure on Masonic Musik.

Supah Mario & Synthetic of Internet Money Records’ psychedelic trap production on the opening track “Greenlight” is actually a fun way of kicking things off talking about not wanting to take it slow with her lover on top of turning the world into her brand new speaker whereas “Want” works in some hi-hats & even some elements of dance music thanks to Vendr telling her new man that he’s the only one she wants encouraging him to open up as to exactly what he’s been running from.

“Nothing Like This” goes for a bombastic approach instrumentally with co-production from Tom Levesque of Vanguard Music Group to talk about people never seeing anything like the shit she’s on while “So Lost” has these rage undertones shrugging off that she knows everything that’s goin’ on when others say she don’t know a lot. The trap/dance-pop hybrid “Windows Up” talks about people turning on her & “Tell Me Nun” and ends the EP refusing to let anyone knock her off her spot over a cloudy trap beat.

Of the 5 projects that Molly has under her belt so far, Masonic Musik for only a 6 track/15 minute EP surpasses the level of quality that her self-titled debut LP had set earlier in the year & solidifies her place in the trap subgenre of hip hop. The production’s more hard-hitting than a lot of her earlier material top to bottom, enigmatically exploring mystical & urban themes along the way. Between her & Hardrock being on Victor Victor now, I’m ready for what their debut albums on the label have in store.

Score: 3.5/5

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Babystaydown – “Hate da Way Um Livin’” review

This is the 7th EP albeit Cegular Records debut from Athens, Georgia recording artist Babystaydown. Introducing himself off his debut EP PL Top Recruits as well as 1,350 and Drugz Sex & Money, the latter of which spawned a sequel of it’s own this spring succeeding 17 & preceding his final independent release Genesis later in the summer. Signing to Whyceg’s newly formed Sony Music imprint not too long ago, he’s ready to artistically take himself to the next level on Hate da Way Um Livin’.

We get a bubbly plugg instrumental on the intro “Over It” promising his hoe that they’re gonna smash once he returns from the road whereas “FaceTime” brings a cloudier trap vibe to the beat talking about there being no cap in his raps unlike all these other clowns. “Hijack” gets geeked up for 134 seconds taking the plugg route instrumentally & after “Mink Coat” talks about his preference in freaky women, “M.I.A.” produced by Ayelavish! alongside SOULJASPIRITS & Whyceg ends the first half explaining that he’s living better.

“Deceiving” starts the backend of Hate da Way Um Livin’ with a minimally atmospheric beat talking about a woman that he feels like having mileage whilst being self-aware of the swindling advantage looks can have while “Creole” embraces a pluggnb direction talking about wearing ア・ベイシング・エイプ shirt & Ksubi jeans. “Doomed” yearns to give a bitch shrooms & take her to the room so he can smash her leading into the title track finishing with confidence that he’ll be ok.

All that hustling Babystaydown has done on SoundCloud these past 16 months have finally paid off not simply based off the fact that he’s signed now, but also because Hate da Way Um Livin’ surpasses every single one of his earlier extended plays as the greatest one of them all musically. The plugg production has elevated significantly since the Athens artist began & his gangsta-themed lyrics have gotten sharper.

Score: 4/5

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REi the Imperial – “Operation: Flamethrower” review

This is the 4th EP from New Orleans, Louisiana emcee REi the Imperial. Known for his vibrant storytelling & witty lyrics, he emerged in 2009 off his debut mixtape Spaceships & Satellites followed by another tape Worst Rapper Alive & the full-length debut Rise of the Rejects roughly 8 years later. He has since followed this up with the sophomore effort Origins, his 3rd album Respect How I’m Comin’ & his first 3 EPs 1-833-DOWNBAD as well as Worst Rapper Alive 1.5 & Worst Rapper Alive 2. It’s only been 16 months since the latter & Conductor Williams is being brought in to produce Operation: Flamethrower to high anticipation.

After the “Mission Briefing” intro, the first song “Spirit of Excellence” is a psychedelically drumless opener reflecting on success going from around the corner to his pores whereas “Title Shot” soulfully talks about how you gotta keep going since you’re gonna look up & be up one day. “Panduricane” cloudily suggests Pootie Tang should be a correspondent for the Discovery Global-owned CNN leading into “Imperial vs. Bowser” dustily referencing the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s longest running flagship program Monday Night RAW on USA Network moving to Netflix in a few months alongside former ECW World Television Champion, 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, WWE United States Champion, CZW World Heavyweight Champion, MLW World Middleweight Champion, 2-time BJWジュニアヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time BJW認定タッグチャンピオン & CMLL Mundial Peso Semicompleto Campeon 田尻.

“Thelma Evans” chops up the soul samples again paying tribute to his romantic interest while “Baby Charmander” takes the uncanny boom bap route instrumentally likening himself to a younger version of the titular Pokémon. “Jessica Rabbit” jazzily tells her he doesn’t wanna play her since family comes first while “Sunzilla” hooks up a grungy rock flip making a reference to the current ROH World Tag Team Champion & ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion Dustin Rhodes. “Auntie Rita” featuring LG & Old Orleans ends the EP with the trio over a soulful beat talking love again.

I vividly remember this guy contacting me several years ago on Instagram & fast forward present day, he just put out the best EP of his entire career. Conductor Williams’ production is incredibly consistent top to bottom & noticeably stronger than the instrumentals on REi’s previous work, paving the way for the Reject Society leader to take his storytelling & witty bars to newer levels beyond.

Score: 4.5/5

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Elcamino – “Built for Cuban Links” review

Here we have the 16th EP albeit his 2nd to be released this year from Buffalo emcee & singer Elcamino. Blowing up in 2017 off his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, his profile increasingly grew after being followed up by Walking on Water mixtape in the summer of 2018 along with dropped 2 studio albums & a few EPs the year after that.. They Spit on Jesus proved to be a well received Black Soprano Family Records debut the first Camino project that I had covered since On the 3rd Day & that much like No Weapon Formed Against Me was an improvement over some of the material we’ve gotten from him in recent memory. 6 months after having Real Bad Manproduce The Game is the Game though, Ill Tone’s now producing Built for Cuban Links named after Raekwon’s iconic solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… produced by RZA.

Estee Nack joins Elcamino for the opener “Stash House Legends” starting Built for Cuban Links by reaffirming both of their statuses in the drug game over a bare soul sample whereas “Mill Prep” puts the drums in the equation promising to stay the same with or without money. “Estate” feels like a 73 second freestyle accompanied by a drumless instrumental while “Red Room” featuring Flames Dot Malik goes boom bap detailing the gangsta lifestyles they live.

“Gold Plated Benz Wagons” classily talks about being upper echelon just before “Cuban on Cuban” works in more kicks & snares flexing that hip hop got him iced up. “Zip Lock Olympics” luxuriously gets back on his hustler shit leading into the flute-tinged “God’s Favorite” declares he’s done doing & selling percs. The title track strips the drums again to talk about coming from a dark street & “I Knew” returns to the boom bap 1 more time winning standoffs instead of awards.

The Game is the Game still remains the best I’ve heard from Camino ever since signing to B$F, but Built for Cuban Links nonetheless finds him going on a 3-peat since I enjoyed it as much as I did They Spit on Jesus when he joined the label’s roster 11 months ago. Ill Tone obviously ain’t no Real Bad Man yet his takes on the boom bap/drumless sounds get elevated thanks to the stories Meechy tells in only 20 minutes.

Score: 3.5/5

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Krizz Kaliko & Vin Jay – “Chop” review

This is a brand new collaborative EP between Krizz Kaliko & Vin Jay. One is an MC, singer/songwriter & voice actor from Kansas City, Missouri notable for being one of the first people that Tech N9ne signed to Strange Music along with Kutt Calhoun and Skatterman & Snug Brim while the other is a New York rapper emerging in 2019 by releasing the single “Mumble Rapper vs. Lyricist” to widely negative reception. Krizz left Strange in the spring of 2021 following L.I.F.E. (Legend Immortal Forever Eternal) to form his own label Ear House Inc., making his 3rd EP Wrapped Up the inaugural release through his imprint. He & Vin Jay have been working closely have been working closely for the past, which resulted in Vin opening for Krizz on your & eventually Chop.

The title track is a decent trap opener produced by former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 going back-&-forth talking about them teaming up so they can cut up anyone who wants to step up to them whereas “Champ” turns the bass up boasting that they’re bigger than everyone else. “Famous” then works in a vocal sample & hi-hats disregarding fame & Vin Jay saying there’s no debating he’s one of the greatest, except for the fact that his discography up to this point has been generally panned.

“Bussin’” starts the other half of Chop has another one of my favorite instrumentals on the entire EP swapping out the sampling from the previous track in favor of grisly piano chords & “B.D.E. (Big Dick Energy)” easily has to be my least favorite track here not because of the chaotic trap beat, but rather due to their take on the titular slang phrase coming off as corny instead of boastful. “Ball Out” finishes the EP with 1 more trap joint going on a high streak & Vin Jay calling himself a legend, which is true in the sense that “Mumble Rapper vs. Lyricist” is literally one of the worst singles of the previous decade.

Being a longtime fan of Krizz Kaliko ever since the Strange Music days, I’ve continued to support him ever since he left to go his own way as proven by how much I enjoyed Wrapped Up few years ago simply because he’s always stood out as a highly skilled MC & an undeniably captivating singer/songwriter responsible for penning some of the most memorable hooks in Tech’s discography. But Chop sadly marks a step down from the Wysh You Would collab album with Tres Aurland almost 2 & a half years ago. 7’s half of the production is more detailed than the other & Krizz’ performances are significantly stronger than Vin Jay’s.

Score: 1.5/5

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Madd Maxxx – “Dirtcore 24” review

This is the 6th EP from Brockton, Massachusetts emcee Madd Maxxx. A member of the Mission: Infect collective, he’s also released a few full-lengths along with a mixtape & his previous 5 EPs on his own, with the last LP being his 3rd album albeit Dirtcore Music debut Kaleidoscope becoming the strongest body of work he’s ever made thus far & he’s returning on his born day once again condensing Dirtcore 24 down to a 5 track 12 & a half minute offering preluding a future full-length in the future at some point I presume.

After the “Keep It Dirtcore” intro, the first song “Terrifying” produced by J Reno starts the EP shooting for a trap vibe instrumentally telling us why his shit he cold whereas “Diary of a Madd Man” switches into the boom bap lane taking aim at every juggalo rapper who thinks they can body him when he’s right. “Shinobi Stance” works in some synths as well as kicks & snares from Dirtcore Music founder Crossworm continuing to deliver hardcore lyricism while the closer “Rat Race” ruggedly talks about Dirtcore being the leaders of the hip hop zombie horde.

M:I just put out their magnificent comeback EP arM:Igeddon earlier this spring & not only is it my favorite EP of Maxxx’, but I’ll even argue it’s right behind Kaleidoscope from last year in being the 2 go-tos if you wanna get into Madd Maxxx’ solo work. Crossworm & J Reno both kill their respective shares of Dirtcore 24’s production & Maxxx refrains from having any guests joining him so he can hold down the lyrical side of things on his own, to which he succeeds at. Has me more intrigued about fellow Mission: Infect member Mumm Ra’s upcoming album albeit Dirtcore Music debut Autogod in a couple weeks.

Score: 4.5/5

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