Bobby J from Rockaway – “Radio Days” review

This is the 2nd EP from Queens emcee Bobby J from Rockaway. Coming up as a protege of Kwamé, he would begin to turn heads in the underground during the summer of 2019 off the strength of his full-length debut Summer Classics along with his Statik Selektah produced debut EP Endless Summer, the latter being my introduction to his music along with 1 Mic & a Drum’s eponymous EP. Bobby then joined forces with Detroit veteran Hush to drop the collab album 718 II 313 last summer, of which they had the honor of playing 80% of to me at a studio a year prior. But just about 6 months later, he’s enlisting NYC producer Nef behind the boards to drop Radio Days.

After the intro, the first song “From the Jump” with J57 finds the 2 over a triumphant boom bap instrumental describing their plot to expand prior to Street Smartz & Wais P assisting Bobby on the soulful “Leaving” declaring that they’re never putting down the mics. “Something Like” is a rap rock/boom bap hybrid paying tribute to all the b-boys out there just before “Mind, Body & Soul” comes through with a more mellow sound as Bobby & Michael Fiya talk about feeling the vibes.

“1 Love” brings back the soul for the ladies while the 7182313 interlude reunites with Hush to show off their chemistry over a trunk knocking beat. The penultimate track “Fade Away” mixes a crooning sample with some keys & a country guitar talking about what’s gonna happen when the flame burns out while “The Hangover” is a bluesy closer detailing having too much to drink the night before.

Endless Summer still stands as my favorite EP that Bobby has ever done but to have Radio Days be his first solo effort in 3 years, I’ll still take it. Nef’s production is some of his most interesting to date as the sounds I don’t think I’ve ever heard Bobby experiment with in the past, but that’s what makes it exciting because it tells me that he’s continuing to grow as an artist. If this is only a precursor to a sophomore album, then it could very well end up being his best.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sk8star – “rebel” review

This is the 4th EP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Sk8star. Blowing up in the spring of 2021 off Superstar Status, he would go on to follow it up last year with both the B4NWØ EP & his debut mixtape New World Ørder respectively. The latter being my introduction to Sk8’s music after my lil brody UnreleasedSnip put me on, with songs like “Standin’ on Business” & “YSL Flow” being the standouts for me personally. He just dropped his previous EP Mogul a month after we saw him live in Brooklyn & just so happened to surprise drop rebel here over the weekend, 4 weeks later.

“king of the hill” is a guitar-tinged trap opener with Sk8 talking about a baddie in high heels being totally unaware of how good he makes her feel whereas “mono boots alyx” has a more atmospheric approach asking a shorty what her sign is & shows off the titular boots that he happens to own. “imma ride” works in some hi-hats & strings speaking on being by his homie’s side, but then “status” takes the cloudier route to talk about how he been ballin’. The woozy penultimate track “in the shadows” finds Sk8 acknowledging that he’s doing better than his enemies & they hate him for it just before “motion” produced by Nosaint & ReidMD of Vanguard Music Group sends things off on a peppy yet melodic note having just that.

If anyone’s still not up on this dude yet, then I recommend you change that because I think one of the ATL’s most exciting up-&-comers at the moment is gonna go even harder than he did last year when I got put onto him & this definitely goes to show it. It’s really fresh to hear him detail where he’s at in his life currently & even displaying his versatility with some the beats that these producers bring to the table.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bukshot – “When Hell Freezes” review

This is the 18th EP from Louisville, Kentucky emcee & Mobstyle Music founder Bukshot. From his lengthy solo discography to the group & duos that’s formed with some of the biggest names that the underground has to offer, there’s no question that dude’s been putting it down for the culture for a grip at this point. He just dropped the ferocious Never Safe last spring prior to his appearances at Astronomicon around that same time & is now seeing fit to put When Hell Freezes up on DSPs in light of Friday the 13th.

After the “Kafkaesque” intro, the title track truly opens up the EP with a cinematically haunting instrumental courtesy of MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 airing out those who want him out of the game prior to the almighty Alla Xul Elu & Lo Key tagging along for the apocalyptic trap banger “Rise Up” talking about running this shit from underneath. Stevie Stone fresh off making an entrance theme for former NXT North American Champion Solo Sikoa of the WWE’s most dominant faction The Bloodline comes into the picture for the cavernous “We Was” looks back to the days on the block while the song “Chant” with the Super Famous Fun Time Guys sees the trio over some kicks & snares talking about having these ways of crushing their dreams. The penultimate track “Death Dance” with the Lune Squad has a more morbid trap flare to it confessing they see their skeletons dancing & the Godsynth-produced “Beat ‘Em Up” ends with The Underground Avengers reuniting alongside Zitro for a fight anthem.

Mobstyle have been rightfully experiencing a rise in popularity within the underground wicked shit scene within the last 3 years & if this is how Buk’s gonna ring in 2023, then it only increases my anticipation for what Mobstyle has coming down the pipe such as Cabal’s sophomore album The Bottomless Pit & of course The Horde’s eponymous debut. The production’s knocking, nearly every feature comes correct & Buk sounds as ruthless as before.

Score: 4/5

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Mickey Diamond – “Oroku Saki” review

This is the 6th EP from Detroit underground emcee Mickey Diamond. Emerging at the beginning of 2020 off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 6 albums alongside 5 EPs & a mixtape. His last 2 outings Gucci Ghost & Gucci Ghost 2produced by Big Ghost Ltd. that dropped back to back last month have quickly become my favorite bodies of work that Diamond has put out yet so when I found out that one of my favorite graphic artists in recent memory Ral Duke would be behind the boards for Oroku Saki in it’s entirety, it was only right to give it my first review of 2023 since Gucci Ghost 2 was my last review of 2022.

After the “Can Opener” intro, the title track is a symphonic boom bap opener where Mickey talks about how he’s gonna make you learn to respect the throne whereas “Chrome Dome” works in some more strings whilst dashing some jazzy undertones to the beat as well referring to himself as the masked man. “Wow!” hooks up some kicks & snares with a piano loop talking about how those listening be knowing his style & making the sun shine like WWE Hall of Famer Luna Vachon leading into “Multiverse” following the “Krangstrumental” interlude takes a more cavernous route in terms of sound echoing the iconic Tribe Called Quest joint “Can I Kick It?” painting images of the wicked mean streets. “Turtle Soup” is a killer rap rock cut talking about what he be dining on tonight & ruthlessly hijacking your whole residence while “The Foot” returns to the boom bap talking about how he could never take all of this from a rat. After the “Ooze” interlude though, Mondo Slade come into the picture for the closer “Shredder vs. Casey Jones” as he & Diamond essentially battle rap one another over an uncanny instrumental with co-production from & Swab.

It’s funny how Gucci Ghost 2 was a last minute addition to my best of 2022 list & now here is 3 weeks later kicking off the new year the exact same way: By giving us his 3rd consecutive classic. As someone who enjoyed the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series as well as the first 2 movies from the early 90’s & the ‘03 series, the concept of the EP is incredibly cohesive as Mickey ties in references into his hardcore lyrical style excellently. Now the only time I can recall hearing Ral Duke production a track was “Painkillers” off Conway the Machine’s 11th mixtape Everybody‘s F.O.O.D. 2: Eat What U Kill & that was always a highlight track for me personally, but I genuinely appreciate how much his production here has fluctuated so much in the last 4 years or so.

Score: 4.5/5

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BeenOfficial – “America’s on Drugs II: America’s Still on Drugs”

This is the 3rd EP from Bronx emcee BeenOfficial. Coming up in the winter of 2015 off his 1st single “Why U Lie? (Y U Lie?)”, it wouldn’t be until 5 years later where he would put out his debut EP God’s Jewelry using that time to put out more songs to build up anticipation & eventually followed it up a couple months later in the form of America’s on Drugs. But as the 2 year anniversary of the latter continues to approach slowly & surely, the man himself’s returning in the form of a sequel merely days after Christmas.

The intro starts things off by briefly yet ruggedly reintroducing himself for those that don’t know whereas “Can’t Get Away” has a more sample-based trap flare to it looking back on the days when he was down & how he’s been doing better as of late. S.C. Money tags along for the luxurious “Life or Death” spitting that hustler shit just before “H.W.T.C. (Heavy Wears The Crown)” follows it up with a horn-inflicted boom bap instrumental talking about being his way now.

S.C. Money comes back 1 last time in the form of “I’m Working”, where both of them detailing that they’ve been putting it on over top of a beat that’s reminiscent to that of my favorite Slaughterhouse cut “Microphone” while the penultimate track “Got a Gun” returns to the boom bap acknowledging just how crazy it be out in his parts. The outro is just as short & raw as the intro, except the lyrics touch on those not knowing what it’s like to have a price on your head & thinking about the money he’s bout to collect whilst driving on the highway.

It’s really fresh to hear how much this guy’s grown as an artist in the last 7 years because as dope as his last EP was, America’s on Drugs II: America’s Still on Drugs to me further proves that evolution as much as the predecessor did almost a couple years ago. Lyrically, the themes of drug trafficking are stronger as they were before with Adwerdz’ production continuing to pull from boom bap & trap keeping it at a healthy balance.

Score: 3.5/5

Super Famous Fun Time Guys – “Holiday EP: Advent” review

The Super Famous Fun Time Guys are a self-deprecating horrorcore duo from Ohio consisting of Mr. 8 Legz & Whipstick. They originally broke out in 2018 off their full-length debut Our Album & then the Super Dudes Crooning the Tunes EP that same fall, where they freestyled over songs like Yasiin Bey’s “Mathemathics” or even Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September”. Following their sophomore effort How Do You Fit a Cassette in a Discography? & their solo debut EPs, they became the very 1st act to sign to the almighty Alla Xul Elu’s independently owned Long Live Evil label & their 3rd album Don’t Hug Me from the Front quickly won a lot of people (including myself) over with how well it mixed horrorcore with comedy. But ahead of their official LLE sophomore effort next year, Whip & Legz are celebrating Christmas with their 3rd EP.

After the “Reindeer Rental” intro, the first song “Mandatory Holiday Function” is a cheery way to kick things off by talking about how tis the season to have a Fun Time party while the song “Cute & Cuddly” takes the boom bap route calling themselves gremlins that came from a path full of snakes similar to that of current AEW manager, WWE Hall of Famer & former SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake “The Snake” Roberts. The penultimate track “Frosty Tips” laces some bells with piano chords & a thunderous bass-line to get on their hardcore shit prior to Doc Gruesome, Donnie Menace & Stray all assisting the greatest tag team to never even step into a ring for the 9-minute trap closer “Humbugs in Your Bed” talking about St. Nick pulling up to your city.

Now if any of y’all are looking to have a fun time this Christmas, then you’re gonna wanna add Holiday EP: Advent onto your rotation this weekend because it’s without a bit of doubt the best Christmas-themed project that I’ve heard in a while. The humorous yet nihilistic lyricism & exciting chemistry we’ve all come to know & love them for both make their way onto here except the production has a more seasonal twist to it. I know they said at the 2nd annual Camp Xul this past summer to expect their next full-length in 2023 & I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that Billy Obey is producing it in it’s entirety but regardless of the latter, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there & maintain all anticipation for it.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sk8star – “Mogul” review

This is the 3rd EP from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Sk8star. Getting his footing in the spring of 2021 off Superstar Status, he would go on to follow it up this year with both his previous EP B4NWØ & his debut mixtape New World Ørder respectively. The latter being my introduction to Sk8’s music after my lil brody UnreleasedSnip put me on, with songs like “Standin’ on Business” & “YSL Flow” being the standouts for me personally. But coming fresh off a live performance in Brooklyn last month during the Black Friday weekend that we went to & now that Christmas is only a week away, dude’s seeing fit to drop Mogul without any prior notice.

“dover mogul” starts the EP with a pluggy instrumental & Sk8star talking about being as powerful as he is coming straight out of the titular community in Screven County whereas “first class” samples the Fergie & Ludacris bop “Glamorous” 1,000x better than Jack Harlow did thanks to Nosaint from Vanguard Music Group saying he started this shit. “thin line” returns to a more mellow trap-based sound touching on the border between love & hate leading into “tripple cross”, which keeps the plugg vibes going talking about losing friends not really being that much of an issue for him personally.

However with “paparazzi”, we have Sk8 over a rage beat from Popstar Benny calling out those who be hatin’ every time he posts a pic just before “sky’s the limit” works in some hi-hats & rattling bass to deliver some braggadocio. “slatty” has a more spacious atmosphere to it talking about having his swag on overload while the song “workin’” is a piano trap ballad admitting he’s more observant & talkative. The penultimate track “goosebumps” has a more ethereal instrumental continuing to flex & “no heart” finishes the EP on a cloudy note talking about how he did this shit.

Now if you’re like me & got drawn into this dude’s music over the summer by New World Ørder, then you’re gonna wanna give Mogul a listen as well because it’s certainly on par with his last tape & can definitely see his profile continuing to grow going into the new year. The production has some more prominent plugg undertones this time around & his melodic delivery is still as charming as it was on the predecessor.

Score: 3.5/5

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Your Old Droog – “The Shining” review

This is the 9th EP from Ukrainian-American emcee Your Old Droog. Catching my attention when he dropped his self-titled debut. many actually first thought he was an alter ego of Nas given that their voices are somewhat similar. He eventually became a legend in his own right off later projects such as Packs as well as It Wasn’t Even Close, TIME & the Nicholas Craven-produced YOD Wave. The 3 EPs he’s given us since YOD Stewart, Yodney Dangerfield & The Yodfather weren’t as great in my opinion yet most certainly had their highlights at the same time. So just when I assumed the predecessor was gonna be Droog’s last of 2022, dude’s making me eat my own words by dropping The Shining less than 2 weeks before Christmas.

“Fresh Direct” is an ominous boom bap opener with Droog acknowledging that there ain’t a rapper that he’s not sonnin’ whereas “Brinks Truck” takes a jazzier route to spit the illest shit that he can think of. “We on the Tarmac” has a more spacious vibe talking about not worrying about a thing & being where the stars at prior to TCF Music Group’s very own Che Noir tagging along for the sample based “Room 237” referencing the titular room in the fictional Overlook Hotel from the classic Stanley Kubrick film that the EP is named after. The song “Redrum” with Rock & Tha God Fahim finds the trio over some dusty production to get murderous while the penultimate track “Here’s Johnny” weaves a flute-tinged boom bap beat in talking about catching him where the dough at. “The Hedge Maze” however ends the EP with a ghostly Sadhugold instrumental & Droog looking back on all his fake friends as he freezes to death.

Before I wrap things up here, I just wanna sincerely apologize for jumping the gun & assuming that The Yodfather was gonna be the final offering from Droog before the year ends. Now that’s out of the way, The Shining is absolutely a cut above the last 3 EPs dude has put out. It’s more conceptual as one of the most prominent MCs in the underground today uniquely retells the titularly classic Stephen King tale & it’s cool to see Wino Willy get more shine by producing a bulk of it. Here’s to the impending masterpiece of a Droogie Otis full-length debut in 2023!

Score: 4/5

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Renelle 893 – “Cocoa Butter” review

This is the 2nd EP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee Renelle 893. Introducing himself a year & a half earlier off the previous extended play Black Currents, he would eventually catch the attention of High Focus Records not too long afterwards & signed to the label. The historic Hove, East Sussex imprint however has decided for Renelle to end their 2022 by having King Kashmere fully produce Cocoa Butter a couple months succeeding Letherette entirely producing Chuck Enzo’s official High Focus return TR3B only 24 hours away from Robbie X ending Luke Jacobs’ reign as RPW British Cruiserweight Champion.

“Let Go” begins with a funky boom bap opener talking about keeping his hood up in his head low whereas “Wine Bottle” drumlessly flexes of pulling up to a zoo because he got a cougar in his whip. “I Dunno” featuring The Strange Neighbour finds the pair suggesting that they act the way do because of the cognac they drink & once “Like a Villain” wavily talks about him wanting to simply chill, “Gotta Go” ends the EP with him speaking of ruling with Hell fire & brimstones.

Continuing to warm fans up for an upcoming full-length debut album of his own, Renelle 893 embraces a new era in the London artist’s career with an extended play that greatly improves beyond the predecessor & his future on board the High Focus Records roster promises a bright future for him in preparation of グレート-O-カーン becoming the new RPW British Heavyweight Champion tomorrow. King Kashmere’s production throughout Cocoa Butter feels nostalgically reminiscent to the simpler times of our lives compared to Black Currents & Renelle’s pen-game has improved tremendously over the course of 20 months.

Score: 4/5

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Skribbal – “Road to Dystopia” review

Skribbal is a 30 year old MC from Los Angeles, California who came up in 2016 off the strength of his full-length debut Drug Spun Funk. This would catch the attention of the rising Wisconsin underground label Force 5 Records & they would put out his sophomore effort Skinwalker a couple years later. But once Skribbal dropped his debut EP Quarantine Sessions a month after the pandemic started, he would leave the label to form his own Sony Music imprint Hell Patrol Records & celebrated this newfound independence by dropping his 3rd album Black Eyed Children last spring distancing himself from horrorcore in favor of a more hardcore hip hop style. We’ve already gotten 2 EPs from him in 2022 with In Their Blood…& from the Gutterand Man with the Screaming Brain, but is finishing the year with a 4th EP.

“Son of Paleface” is a twangy boom bap opener dropping some battle bars whereas “Dorothy Lamour” works in a crooning vocal loop talking about searching for his soulmate. “Ralph & Alice” has some dejecting piano chords throughout as he & Brittany Dominguez compare one another to the titular couple from The Honeymooners while “Thanks for the Memory” reminiscing on how gorgeous this chick that he saw was over a vintage sample. The closer “Jackie Gleason” with Mopes is a horn-boom bap combination continuing to bring the hardcore prior to the bonus cut “Mambo Italiano truly ending the EP with an Italian flip explaining how crazy he is.

All 3 of the EPs that this dude has dropped throughout the year are solid in their own rights, but I think that Road to Dystopia is my 2nd favorite of the trilogy behind In Their Blood…& from the Gutter. The heavy 40s/50s influence throughout is pulled off in an interesting fashion & you can tell Skribbal has a genuine appreciation for that specific time in history. Whatever’s next in 2023, I’m interesting in hearing where it goes from here.

Score: 3.5/5

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