Ian – “Valedictorian” review

This is the 4th EP from up-&-coming rapper/producer Ian of the D1shonorable collective. Somebody that got his start in 2019 producing the single “Know That” by Izaya Tiji before going on to release 3 EPs of his own: Only for a While, Remembrance & the gyo-produced Empty Suit. For the past few months however, he’s been going viral off a couple singles to the point of landing a contract with Akon’s brother Bu Thiam’s very own Columbia Records imprint Buvision Entertainment & further building off the recent hype to put out Valedictorian.

After the DJ Holiday intro, the first song “Never Stop” is a playful trap opener to the tape refusing to quit under any circumstances whereas “Bentayga” works in some synths & hi-hats detailing the luxurious lifestyle. “Airbnb” vibrantly brushes off any tough talk that comes his way & throwing a hoe a bag if she shows him something leading into “Hermes Sheets” giving me a heinous atmosphere instrumentally continuing to show off his wealth. “Omakase” talks about busting his ass day & night like KiD CuDi referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage over a synth-laced trap beat while “Chauncey” might be favorite track from the cloudy instrumental from Galactic Records signee tana to the lyrics referencing former Detroit Pistons player Chauncey Billups.

“Judgement” flexes that he’s too rich to entertain chumps over minimal synthesizers & hi-hats, but then “Grand Slam” has these rage-inducing undertones boasting that his hermano crazy about the pollo similarly to my favorite show of all-time Breaking Bad. The EP’s final song & lead single “Figure It Out” just so happens to be the very first song of Ian’s that I ever heard carrying over the minimal hypertrap influences from “Grand Slam” as I had previously mentioned including a reference to the Batman franchise owned by the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment. The first bonus cut “Options” keeps the rage going talking about his neck changing the weather & the other “Magic Johnson” produced by Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor becoming another standout passing bread like the Lakers player.

Being already somewhat familiar with the D1 crew since Fakekickin’ just fully produced the new Moh Baretta mixtape RE:VAMP over a week ago, Ian here has been catching my interest for a few weeks as a result of Valedictorian’s final 2 tracks continuing to grow in popularity & he might even be my new favorite member. He properly introduces himself to a wider audience whilst maintaining the plugg/rage elements of his earlier EPs, further solidifying himself as an exciting new face in both subgenres.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

C.R.I.M. – “In the Meantime” review

C.R.I.M. is a 30 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who started out under the original moniker Crimson Alchemist releasing her debut EP E4 in 2018 pulling inspiration from her love for Pokémon & subsequently the 2020 Valentine’s Day-themed 4H (For Her) only a month until the world as we know it went under lockdown. She has since been putting out singles & doing features, but is taking the next step in her official return switching up her moniker & putting out her 3rd EP albeit her first body of work in over 4 years.

“Wrong Turn” sets off the EP mixing technique & passion for a lifetime commitment over pianos, kicks & snares whereas “Adversary” is this synth-boom bap hybrid talking about solemnly swearing she’s up to no good. “The Whitney” featuring Jazar & Semi 6 starts the 2nd half of In the Meantime taking a jazzier approach instrumentally noticing everything ain’t the same once you get into the game prior to “The 11th Hour” featuring J. Santino finishing the EP returning to the boom bap so she can talk about regrouping.

I was fortunate to meet C.R.I.M. a few summers ago around the time that Fatt Father had delivered his 5th album Soccer Dad produced by Foul Mouth & found the way that she blended conscious lyricism with the nerdcore style of hip hop to be pretty distinctive. In the Meantime however could be my new favorite EP of hers & one that those who’ve been sleeping on her for over a decade should wake themselves up to with. Instrumentally, you’re getting the traditional boom bap sound & C.R.I.M. jumping over them recapping what she’s been going through.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

BADBADNOTGOOD – “Mid Spiral: Chaos” review

BADBADNOTGOOD is an instrumental band & production team from Toronto, Ontario, Canada consisting of drummer/vibraphonist Alex Sowinski, bassist/keyboardist Chester Hansen & multi-instrumentalist Leland Whitty. Forming in 2010 over their shared appreciation for the late MF DOOM & of course Odd Future, their first 2 full-lengths BBNG & BBNG2 further gained traction for blending original compositions & covers until III fully won me over near the end of my junior year of high school after Tyler, The Creatorintroduced me to them through shouting the band out on “Lone” off his sophomore effort Wolf. They also produced what I consider to be Ghostface Killah’s most underrated album Sour Soul approximately 9 months later & Leland was promoted from touring member to official member the next summer on IV. Matthew Tavares departed in 2019 & their XL Recordings debut Talk Memory subsequently came out couple years later. In preparation for a 6th LP, they’ve decided to give fans a taste of what’s to come by releasing a 2nd EP & the first in a new trilogy.

“Eyes on Me” officially gets the EP started by crossing over elements of jazz & funk music for nearly 5 minutes whereas “Take Me With You” picks up from there to give off more of a rhythmic jazz-rock vibe generally. “Weird & Wonderful” brings some funkier grooves back in the mix colliding them with BADBADNOTGOOD’s signature jazz sound to finish the 1st half that is until “Mid Spiral” begins the 2nd leg of the EP going straight up electric jazz fusing both funk & rock this time around. “Last Laugh” happens to be another jazz fusion composition turning the rock influences down although you still have some guitars popping up occasionally & the funk influences up while “Your Soul & Mine” closes Mid Spiral: Chaos giving us 1 more jazz-funk joint.

These guys’ potential was always shown best through the original compositions on their first couple LPs in my opinion since tracks like “Improvised Jam” or “UWM” stood out to me the most during my adolescence & even now all this time later are some of my favorite songs that’ve pieced together in the last 14 & a half years they’ve been actively making music. BADBADNOTGOOD however has been giving us 1 consistent body of work after another over the last decade in III, IV, Talk Memory & now you can add this newest EP of theirs onto the ever-growing pile. It predominantly stays within the band’s jazz fusion wheelhouse in terms of overall sound with additional jazz-funk & jazz-rock undertones sprinkled in.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Glokk40Spaz & OsamaSon – “3vil Reflection” review

This is a brand new collaborative EP between Glokk40Spaz & OsamaSon. Both of whom have collaborated with one another in the past on the track “Codeine Dreamz”, but have individually made a name for themselves as 2 of the biggest up-&-comers that trap music has to offer with projects like Took the Biggest Risk or Flex Musix. However, they are linking up to surprise-drop 3vil Reflection on SoundCloud.

To start the EP, “2X” finds the 2 vividly portraying the gangsta lifestyles they live backed by an atmospheric trap instrumental whereas “Movie” works in some rage beats talking about having sticks on them & throwing their Dracos up in the air. “Blame Dem Drugz” might be my favorite track on 3vil Reflection diving into pluggnb territory going dummy that is until “Bankroll” brings back the hypertrap influences turning the bass up to 11 & counting their pesos.

“No Rules” has a straight up plugg vibe to it instrumentally taking out everyone who tries to get in their way just before the synthesizer-heavy “ADHD” talks about going to hit that kid since they actually have ADHD itself. The rage-inducing “Jungle” boasts that they just spent about $10K & “Wicked” shoots for a dark plugg sound popping out with the potato barrels on their glizzys, but then “Vixen” finishes the EP with 1 last hypertrap cut not giving a fuck no more.

Both of these guys have been dominating the plugg/rage scenes in their own distinctive fashions, so hearing them coming together on 3vil Reflection is a momentous occasion considering each artists’ rightfully increasing popularity & they give us the tightest collaborative effort in their discographies. Its production mostly has a hypertrap tone throughout with additional elements of dark plugg & pluggnb as 2 of their hottest artists in that field match their intensities.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Rio da Yung O.G. – “Rio Circa 2020” review

Flint, Michigan rapper Rio da Yung O.G. celebrating his 30th born day by releasing his 10th EP. Breaking through the local trap scene during the latter portion of the previous decade under the mentorship of Peezy, he has since put out his last 9 EPs as well as a full-length debut album & a handful of collaborative projects under his belt all over the duration of 6 years. Rio’s previous EP The F Tape celebrated its 1-year anniversary several days ago, I can totally see why his estate unearthed Rio Circa 2020.

“Warm Up” has a rubbery, atmospheric Detroit trap flare instrumentally to get us started thanking God for allowing this rap shit to change his life whereas “Grease” bouncily talks about having the grease as opposed to the fire. “Grizzly Flow” pays homage to fellow Detroit artist Tee Grizzley over pianos & fingersnaps detailing the gangsta lifestyle prior to “Me & Mike” featuring follow M.I.N.E. Entertainment/#Boyz Entertainment artist RMC Mike demonstrating a back & forth chemistry between the 2 that gave us the Dumb & Dumber trilogy.

Mike sticks around for “Mike Voice” bringing a Bay Area vibe to the beat referencing former 11-time WWE Tag Team Champions, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, ROH World Tag Team Champions, HOG World Tag Team Champions, ΩCW Tag Team Champions & The Crash Mundial Parejas Campeons The Hardy Boyz that is until Louie Ray joins Rio & Mike on “Flint Boyz” representing Vehicle City over a bell-laced instrumental. “Brother Flow” featuring Louie Ray brings in more bells, keys, strings & 808s laying out braggadocio for a few minutes preferring to shoot people than watching the WWE division of the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings just before “Primo Beat” keeps the bells in tact throwing the hi-hats into the fold once again continues to flex dissing those who ain’t doing shit.

“Collective Nights” produced by Danny G nears the EP’s final moments calling himself Dr. Seuss since he sold a green egg to a ham on top of having a money fight & doing a drive-by in the Hellcat coming out from up the roof of the demon over a grisly Detroit trap beat that is until the closer “DD4” finishes Rio Circa 2020 teaming up with RMC Mike for 1 more time so they can prelude an upcoming 4th installment of their standout Dumb & Dumb3r trilogy.

Rio been incarcerated for 3 years already & although only has 2 more until he finally comes home, he’s still been able to keep the streets hot in the form of both Fiend Lives Matter & The F Tape. And nevertheless of the material on this new EP being made during the COVID-19 pandemic, I happen to enjoy it more than the last one The F Tape from over a year ago. The guest are boiled down to a couple & his status in the 313 is firmly reminded.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

A-F-R-O – “The Drawing Board” review

This is the 9th EP from Los Angeles 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. He would eventually end up only doing features up until making his official return last summer putting out 3 more EPs, the latest being New Colonel in Town only 5 months ago. However, he’s going back to The Drawing Board.

The title track is a symphonic boom bap opener talking about feeling like he’s the greatest & the most underrated at the same time whereas “Next 2 Shine” works in more kicks & snares with synths breaking down that some of y’all really don’t know him & telling everyone who don’t rock with him to step to the side. “Wing Chun” boasts about things turning lethal every time he drops over a string-laced boom bap instrumental just before “Gone 4 a Second” takes a cloudier route instrumentally acknowledging that he’s been taking time off from music.

“Behead the Beat” speeds up his flow a bit maintaining his prosperity & seeing clarity these days over an orchestral sample while “Old Tyme’s Sake” returns to the boom bap talking about sticking to the script refusing to change it up. “Redemption” mixes synths & hi-hats explaining that he’s found the light in his soul painting his story on the canvas of his own production prior to “Battle Royale” featuring Blind Toxic, EKYM1536, Felcon, Pulse Reaction, SuperBrownBum & 60 East rounding out the EP with an average posse cut.

I admittedly wasn’t sure what was going on with All Flows Reach Out until he made his comeback last year, but The Drawing Board has to be the best EP that he’s put out since he started dropping music again almost a year ago by now & the most that I’ve enjoyed something from him since A-F-R-O Polo the year after I had graduated from high school. His lyricism gives listeners a more personal side to himself & his beats generally stick to the traditional boom bap sound.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Bear1boss – “Bubbles” review

This is the 28th EP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Bear1boss. Emerging in 2015 off his debut mixtape #beentrill#, he has since gone on to build up a lengthy yet impressive catalog for himself including 5 more tapes as well as all 27 of his previous EPs & even 5 full-length albums. My introduction to his music was last spring when my younger brother my little brother & UnreleasedSnip founder Jacob! played me “Fair” & “All Alone” off his 18th EP Dynamic, where I found myself being impressed by unique voice & style to the point where I’ve been following him since. I covered Blow Up! over a year ago & that was a solid rage effort, but I thought Bubbles here was worth giving a shot since it’s been a while. I should also worth noting the viral clip of him in January of him meeting Playboi Carti while they were locked up & then Anthony Fantano interestingly enough criticizing him on TikTok a month later.

“Cannonball” is this repetitively catchy & colorful synth-heavy opener produced by Popstar Benny boasting that he’s being cold fashioned & that he’s with a Latin bitch whereas “Unbearable” works in some horns, bells & hi-hats to talk about being the man & that he’s incredible. “Protect Scuffle” brings a playful rage beat into the picture assuring that he’s been good leading into another standout for me “Throwrocks!” admitting that he’s off the Hennessy in the booth & his life mattering over a pluggy instrumental from Popstar.

Continuing from there, “Hella Money” shows off his wealth going for a peppy hypertrap vibe just before “Louder” talks about rapping on shrooms since he’s on a spiritual journey & that his cup is more purple than Chowder. “I’m Not a Pimp” has this cheerful trap flare to it courtesy of Popstar Benny once again explaining that life can be easy & simple aside from explain that he doesn’t pimp leading into the cavernous “Theme Song” bragging about getting high in a mansion & that this music is his passion.

“Positive Vibes” featuring SossHouse Records signee Bermuda Yae approaches towards a cloudier atmosphere instrumentally promising that they’ll pop you before you try to pop them keeping the Glock by their sides while “Sauce Walker” featuring Key! finds the pair talking about how saucy both of them are with rage-inducing Popstar production backing them & “Important” rounding out Bubbles with 1 last hypertrap cut declaring himself flyer than everyone else.

The last 5 EPs that Bear1’s been giving us since I last reviewed him are mostly ok at best personally putting Lil Hotsauce as my favorite & Outta Here! as my least favorite, but I can’t deny that he gave us one of his best offerings in a while on the 4th EP that he’s released this year alone. You still get the rage beats that were heavily on Blow Up in a lesser extent, favoring for pop rap & trap dashed with additional doses of plugg & cloud rap.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

4Batz – “U Made Me a St4r” review

4Batz is a 22 year old singer/songwriter from Dallas, Texas gaining popularity this past winter off the single “date @ 8” earning co-signs from one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye or formerly known as Kanye West to even Drake, who ultimately appeared on the “date @ 8” remix & signed 4Batz to OVO Sound for a 1-EP deal. Only a month later, the most interesting new name in R&B of 2024 is putting out an EP through gamma. only a week after PARTYNEXTDOOR’s latest album PARTYNEXTDOOR 4.

After the titular intro, the first song “stickerz “99””starts off with an alternative R&B cut with additional elements of trap soul and chopped & screwed leaving bitches screaming anything whereas “date @ 8” featuring Drake on the remix puts a bigger emphasis on the trap soul undertones from earlier giving their significant others $700 for them to get new nails & hair. “on god?” featuring Ye on the remix takes the PBR&B route once again throwing additional neo-soul undertones calling out those hard to please & after the “get out yo feelings ho” skit, “fckin u (18+)” featuring Usher on the remix crosses over contemporary & alternative R&B with trap soul being unable to stop fucking all night long.

“there goes another vase” starts the 2nd half of the EP smoothly delving into a tumultuous relationship where the artist recognizes partner’s toxicity & at the same time feels a deep attachment to her while the stripped-back “mad man” turns sex with this woman into a passion. “all we do is argue, argue” spaciously asks her why she be breaking his heart out here just before the final song & my personal favorite “i hate to be alone” is this beautiful closer talking about not wanting to be by his lonely.

You know you’re into something when you get the Ye co-sign & it really makes me excited to hear 4Batz go from here when his EP deal with OVO is fulfilled on a later date, regardless U Made Me a St4r further pushes him as one of the most exciting new faces in the alternative/contemporary R&B scene. You also get neo-soul, pop rap, trap soul & hip hop soul undertones with a hint of chopped & screwed so the Dallas singer/songwriter can pull off his passionate singing chops whilst displaying his abilities with the pen.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Ed O.G. – “AudiO EDibles” review

Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts veteran Ed O.G. joining forces with Los Angeles beatsmith Tone Spliff for his 5th EP. Signing to Mercury Records as the leader of Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs, they would go on to put out 2 albums together before disbanding & Ed himself eventually established himself as a solo artist put out 4 EPs & 10 full-length LPs of his own. My favorites include his 3rd album My Own Worst Enemy produced by Pete Rock & his 6th album After All These Years. However, learning that Tone was hopping behind the boards for AudiO EDibles raised expectations in being Ed’s best EP.

After the titular intro, the first song “Catch Up” gets us started on some ominous boom bap shit talking about building this empire whereas “Act of God” works in these orchestral elements on top of kicks & snares asking who else do you know can pull off a feat like this. “Another Broken Heart” flips a soul sample advising listeners not to be fools & let them break your heart while the piano-driven “Hard 2 Get” talks about a woman that’s difficult to bag. “Achieve” keeps it boom bap explaining that a closed mind can’t be opened leading into the luxurious “Someday” calling to cease gun violence, but then “Move Mountains” serves as a dusty closer looking to do exactly that soon as he enters the zone.

That self-titled collaborative effort Ed O.G. did with Insight from a few years ago affirmed to me that both of them still very much haven’t lost a step & since then had been hoping for a solo effort from him that I would enjoy as much. AudiO EDibles, I can say gets the job done. Tone Spliff’s gives Ed some of the best production that he’s had in a while grounded in the traditional boom bap sound & the lyrics from the Roxbury emcee provides thought-provoking themes throughout.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Slimesito – “EVILSLIME” review

This is the 16th EP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Slimesito. Notable for being a member of the quintet Jurassic Park, he would also drop 3 LPs as well as 15 EPs & a mixtape of his own. Highlights in his discography include his 4th EP Scarface Sito, his 9th EP Rich Slime, his full-length debut Vida Brazy, 11th EP Life of a Slime & lastly the Dedication duology hosted by DJ Phat. And now with Yonkers producer Evilgiane of the Surf Gang coming fresh off lacing The Hillbillies’ eponymous debut single, I had a strong feeling ahead of EVILSLIME that it could top everything else as the crown jewel of Sito’s discography.

“Designer Drugz” gets the ball rolling detailing Slimesito’s lifestyle over a plugg instrumental whereas “Right or Wrong” co-produced by Eera finds the 2 joining forces going into a cloudier direction with some hi-hats thrown in talking about sliding for the gang without caring who’s in the right or who’s in the wrong. “Bandoleros” kinda has this airy drill vibe to the beat referring to himself as a rebel prior to the booming “Mona Lisa” painting the block much like the iconic painting the EP’s artwork pays homage to.

K$upreme joins Sito on the psychedelic “Top Floor” flexing the penthouse status that both artists have earned at this point in their careers while the atmospheric drill hybrid “Make It Home” reminding everyone that he been had motion. “Bruise Wayne” works in these ominous synth melodies & hi-hats talking about being on the block no differently than Batman, but then “12 03 93” gives me a cinematic vibe instrumentally feeling like making shit snow although it’s summertime.

“Top Kapo” pushes near the end of EVILSLIME calling himself a top dog over a cloudy beat just before “No Stress” clashes hi-hats & low-register synth melodies refusing to stress over Ls by getting back in counting through all the racks. The closing track “Dr. Evil” finishes the EP with a more playful tone in the production & Sito talking about everyone calling him evil since they know he stay plotting, likening himself to the titular antagonist of the Austin Powers trilogy.

Giane’s increasing popularity in the last couple years has been making me extremely happy as someone who’s been paying attention to him for the past 3 years & not only has become EVILSLIME my new favorite Slimesito EP, but I’d even put it up there with RealYungPhil’s 5th EP Dr. Phil as one of the greatest projects that the Surf Gang member has fully produced for another artist so far since the end result is Evilgiane’s sound being used as a canvas for Sito to paint his masterpiece.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!