Shakewell & $uicideboy$ – “Shameless $uicide” review

This is the brand new collaborative EP between Shakewell & the $uicideboy$. The latter is a well regarded underground duo from New Orleans with the other being a recording artist out of Los Angeles that Ruby da Cherry & $crim signed to their very own Virgin Music imprint G*59 Record$ during the pandemic. The trio have a couple songs together like “Venom” & “Solutions” but considering that the boy$ have a few collab EPs with fellow G*59 signees Germ & Ramirez, it was only right for them to get one in with Shakewell in the form of Shameless $uicide.

The title track sets it off with the trio getting locced the fuck out accompanied by a somber trap instrumental whereas “Whole Lotta Grey” works in some synthesizers & hi-hats talking everything that they got. “Gutter Bravado” keeps the futuristic sounds going as all 3 of them spit that gangsta shot while the song “Went to Rehab & All I Got Was This Lousy Shirt” is an eerie trap banger about half men, half demigods. The penultimate track “6 Lines, 2 Dragons & a Messiah” has a more shimmering quality to the beat sampling “Tire Shop” by Gangsta Blac as they refer to themselves as the founders until the spacious closer “Big Shot Cream Soda” gets to the paper.

It’s always interesting when the $uicideboy$ link up with another one of their artists signed to G*59 Record$ for a collaborative EP & not only do I consider Shameless $uicide to be amongst my favorites of the bunch, but it makes me hope that this is only the beginning from them & Shakewell going forward. There are some interesting ideas with the production & the chemistry between everyone on the mic is better than it was on DIRTIESTNASTIEST$UICIDE a couple months back with all respect to Germ.

Score: 3.5/5

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Vic Spencer – “Greenthumbs Meets Trigger Fingers” review

This is the 6th EP from Chicago, Illinois veteran Vic Spencer. Throughout the past decade or so, he’s made up a lengthy solo discography for himself with highlights including the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced The Ghost of Living to the Sonnyjim-produced Spencer for Higher trilogy. Last time we heard from Vic was over the fall when he dropped the Stu Bangas-produced I.M.P.a.C.T. (I Must Punch a Car Today) & here we are 3 months later with him enlisting 38 Spesh behind the boards so Greenthumbs can meet Trigger Fingers.

“Fireproof” is a jazzy opener about how he’s gotten better with age whereas “Chicago Heights” with The Musalini takes a more funkier yet orchestral approach as both MCs get boastful on the lyrical front. “Match Made in Heaven” has a more solemn approach sonically asking what you do with the same 24 hours as him prior to the lavish “Summertime Crimes” talking about doing a lot of shit on his own.

The song “Wisemind” with Rome Streetz has a more mystical beat as they touch on their wisdom while the penultimate track “Hog Tied” over an organ-laced instrumental cashing out on broke rappers. “Hard to Get” with Rasheed Chappell is a groovy closer talking about hitting them drums in the slums like blues percussion.

I.M.P.a.C.T. (I Must Punch a Car Today) wound up being my favorite project that Vic dropped last year & Greenthumbs Meets Trigger Fingers is on par if not superior in my personal opinion. The performances from the features are a bit more consistent than they were on the last EP, but that doesn’t stop Spesh’s production & Vic’s lyricism gelling as well as they do with one another.

Score: 4/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Iron Bull” review

Tha God Fahim is a 26 year old MC/producer from Atlanta, Georgia notable for his affiliation with 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. He just teamed up with Camoflauge Monk a month ago with the 3-track offering Dark Shogunn Assassin & is now enlisting Nature Sounds to back his 40th EP.

“Man of Steel” opens the EP with some kicks, snares, pianos & a flute as Fahim elevates to new levels whereas “Turbulent Nights” has a more shimmering quality to the beat as he talks about cash ruling & how fly he is. “Tha Ladder” takes a more symphonic route grinding to reach a certain level of mastery & that he does this shit for the culture, but then Your Old Droog joins him on “Makin’ Rounds” comes through with some old timey keyboards as they talk about money making the world go round.

However on “Flame Wreck”, we have Jay Nice accompanying Fahim over ominous production to make sure those who dare to step up to them just before the Dump Gawds come together for the woodwind-infused “Let’s Make a Deal” asking if one can keep themselves strong. The song “Battleship” is a piano boom bap ballad about being military minded while the penultimate track “Food for Thought” displays some remarkable back & forth delivery between him & Droog over a drumless loop. “Story Exit” however sends things off on a soulful note acknowledging he can’t be great without discipline.

It’s wild as fuck to think how far Fahim has come as an artist with a discography as ever-growing as his throughout the past 8 years because Iron Bull has respectfully succeeded Dark Shogunn Assassin as my favorite thing that he’s dropped in 2023 yet. In just a month, the Dump Legend is continuing to elevate his pen-game with an undeniable determination & the production is more hypnotic yet varied than last time.

Score: 4/5

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Bktherula – “LVL5” review

This is the 2nd EP from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Bktherula. Coming up 6 years back as a pop/R&B singer, she eventually broke out a few summers back in the plugg scene after dropping the single “Tweakin’ Together” produced by my lil homie Premiere Maxx off her debut mixtape Love Santana. This resulted in her signing to Warner Records, following it up with her her sophomore tape Nirvana & the full-length debut Love Black. But after some delays, Bk’s back in effect for LVL5 here.

“TAN” is an explosive trap opener with Bk bragging about running the rap game whereas “DO IT AGAIN” works in some synths & hi-hats calling out someone she doesn’t even know for speaking on her character. “BACK” has to be my favorite joint on the album as things take a cloudier approach thanks to Evilgiane & Rafmade so she can fuck your hoe & rub it in your face just before “BELIEVE” comes through with an impressive R&B/trap ballad reminding listeners of her roots & her range.

Moving onto “CRAZY GIRL”, we have Bk over some more synthesizers & hi-hats to describe a bitch that don’t even know she’s the insane one prior to “NO ADLIB” is a shrilling yet rubbery trap cut about keeping a bad bitch & a stack on her along with having 1 in the head similar to Russian roulette. “Forever, Pt. 2 (Jezebel)” is another favorite from the light & melodic instrumental to the Destroy Lonely feature while the bombastic “PSSYONFT” talks about being the hardest bitch past 2022.

The penultimate track “?????” comes through with a more futuristic vibe whilst keeping some heavy bass in the fold as Bk boasts on the lyrical end until “We Made It” sends things off with Rico Nasty joining her for a celebratory yet pillowy closer to the album as they go back & forth with one another excellently proving why we need a collaborative project from them at some point down the line airing out those who hate on them yet wish they were in their shoes.

Been waiting on some new Bk for a while now & although LVL5 feels like an EP considering how short as Hell it is, it’s still an impressive body of work from her. The couplet of features both knock it out of the park as opposed the sole guest performance on the last album being mediocre & I really commend her for the album relatable theme of tapping in with your spiritual side & the small group under the angels that fight against your demons.

Score: 3.5/5

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Chetta – “Falling Off” review

This is the 19th EP from New Orleans rapper/producer Chetta. Emerging in the spring of 2014 off his debut mixtape Nino White, he would go on top follow it up in the form of his previous 18 EPs as well as 11 more tapes & a full-length debut. He signed G*59 Record$nearly 2 years ago & put out his $crim-produced sophomore effort Been Here Forever last summer that I really enjoyed, so didn’t see a reason not to be excited for Falling Off.

“Heaven for a Thot” is a synth-trap opener addressing those who be trying to eat him up whereas “Boohoo” works in some rubbery bass & hi-hats so he can clap back at everyone who says they miss the old him. “Lovers & Øpps” gives me more eerier vibes to the instrumental getting more boastful lyrically only until “#GotMeFuckedUp” admits that he’s too fucked up over a trap instrumental with some pinky keys.

The 2nd half of the EP starts off with “Pantone 10c” fuses some electronic qualities with trap to spit that gangsta shit while the song “Before/We/Forget” embraces more of a cloudier sound talking about focusing on himself. The penultimate track “Nightmares Shaped Like You” has a more desponding groove to the beat hoping his girl don’t end up leaving him & “…Disintegrate” is an auto-tune heavy closer with a atmospheric trap beat telling his lady to come kill him & acknowledging that she sees him alone.

Now I’m not sure whether or not this is something to warm us up for the next album but either way, I still think Falling Off is one of Chetta’s most interesting EPs that he’s whipped up yet. I respect how he decided to take the risk of producing the whole thing by himself & am excited to hear where his style behind the boards evolve from here as he pokes fun at those who believe he fell off.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sly Moon – “The Ghost of Ungar” review

This is the 2nd extended play from London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sly Moon. A member of the Children of the Damned as well as its successor the Cult of the Damned & the Sohio Players, he made his full-length debut in 2020 with Why Am I So Sly? under Blah Records & later teamed up with it’s founder Lee Scott for the collab effort F.D.M.B. (Flippin’ Dough Makin’ Bread) preceding Banned From the Vic. Nearly 6 months have passed since the latter & The Ghost of Ungar’s begin revealing itself.

After the “Table Talk” intro, the self-produced “Life’s a Scramble” featuring Sniff finds the pair ruggedly comparing existence to a gamble whereas “The Ghosts Comin’” talks about having nowhere to run when the specters arrive. “It’s Not a Game” featuring Sniff reunites both of them so they can jazzily make it clear this isn’t a joke to them while “Eternal Spin” by the Sohio Players featuring Sniff maintains the jazz rap vibes referencing Tony from one of my top 3 shows The Sopranos.

“Dragon Loungin’” kicks off the 2nd half talking about stacking mountains over a jazzy instrumental leading into the sample-driven “When the Chips Go Down” contains a cool Cypress Hill interpolation. “Still Nothin’” soulfully talks about not feeling anything after stealing from the rich & after “Bounty Huntin’” by the Sohio Players featuring Sniff discusses cashing bounties, “Walked Out the Vic” preceding the “Table Talk” outro feels the rain on a sunny day.

Whether it’s another EP or a sophomore effort, The Ghost of Ungar marks a drumlessly jazzy return for Sly Moon exploring the high stakes underworld of London’s casinos with a cigar smoke & cognac scented adventure accompanied by his Sohio Players cohort Salar & Sniff. Why Am I So Sly? was only the beginning of what he can do by himself, since Banned From the Vic & now this further demonstrate his evolution in terms of production & as a performer.

Score: 4/5

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joMi – “Too Close” review

This is the debut EP from Oakland emcee joMi. Someone who’s been making his presence in the northern California known by working with the likes of Dizzy Wright, Demrick, 80 Empire & ¡MAYDAY! for over 5 years at this point. He even has a full-length debut under his belt called Samo from 2018 on top of a collaborative album with G. Cardona & Gran Elyan from a year & a half ago. However in light of signing to Soulspazm Records, it’s only right for joMi to properly introduce himself on Too Close.

“Cardona” is an emotional trap opener talking about pulling himself out of this familiar place frequently & after the “My Brother’s Keeper”, skit, Sunny” gives off a chilled out, psychedelic vibe talking about doing right & even apologizing for not being that excited previously. The song “Debo’s Watch, Pt. 2” delves into this whimsically produced trap sequel to the Samo closer & after the “Fallin’ Through the Sky” interlude, “Eye Sell” ends the EP on a groovy note asking who you got time for likening it to fiends on a tightrope trying to get free despite the fact that the time’s slow.

Too Close would be a good place to start in joMi’s discography considering how much it tells new listeners is that this is a guy who’s been dealing with internal growth & internal turmoil all this time. The production is a level up from Samo as he teaches that if you ever get too close to something; you may damage that relationship/object or you may damage yourself instead.

Score: 4/5

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OuterSpace – “Lost Angels” review

OuterSpace is a revered underground duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania consisting of Crypt the Warchild & Planetary. Originally a trio alongside Jedeye, they would catch the attention of local emcee Vinnie Paz & joined his Army of the Pharaohs collective following their debut EP Illegaliens. They would go on to drop 4 albums since, with my favorites being their full-length debut Blood & Ashes alongside their last one My Brother’s Keeper. But after laying low for over a decade, Crypt & Planetary are finally preluding Lost in Space in the form of their 2nd EP.

“Pay Homage” is an aggressive boom bap opener produced by MTK with OuterSpace demanding you give them their flowers while the song “Gimme Patience” with Elemxnt takes the trap route courtesy of C-Lance confessing that they’ve been trying to stay strong for too long. The penultimate track “10 Toes Down” returns to the boom bap as the duo strives to stay loyal to everyone on the ground until “Mi Hermano” comes through with a cinematic closer talking having no mercy to give & refusing to swallow their pride.

Lost in Space has been long overdue & if this is just a taste of what’s to finally come, then I’m sure it’ll be amongst the biggest comeback albums in recent memory. You can truly hear the passion reignited in Crypt & Planetary as their chemistry is stronger than it was when they first started 25 years back as the production mainly sticks to a more traditional boom bap sound.

Score: 3.5/5

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tana – “Gaultier” review

This is the 6th EP from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer tana. Coming up in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosa alongside his debut mixtape Quan a couple years later & eventually signed to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. But coming off his last 3 EPs n(n) as well as Santana & it’s sequel, tana’s ringing in 2023 by making Gaultier his official major label debut.

“y” is a cloudy trap opener to the EP with tana the type of woman to drive you crazy yet the one you’d want to settle down & have kids with whereas “archive” continues to take a more atmospheric route courtesy of Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor talking about wanting to touch the stars. “saving me” samples “Clairvoyant” by MISOGI confessing that he can’t be saved whatsoever, but then “hell nah” gives me a more psychedelic feel talking about hanging with shooters & telling/showing you how he feels.

Moving on from there with “hell yeah”, we have tana boasting his wealth & being prideful of the position that he’s in currently on top of a pluggy trap instrumental leading into “fear no man” talking about being afraid of anyone or anything over some hi-hats & synthesizers provided by Nosaint & Zodiac from Vanguard Music Group. “gon be ok” keeps things in cloud rap territory promising that everything will work itself out in the end just before the piano-laced “swaggin’ like this”with Lancey Foux finds the 2 showing y’all how they swag out.

The song “as i walk thru the path” speaks on getting faded in light of haters over a peppy trap beat while the penultimate track “hills @ night” has a more wavier groove to it from the synths to the lyrics about wanting to call this baddie his. “hope you feel the same” however is an acoustic-heavy closer to the EP touching on being unable to numb the pain & being stuck in his ways. I also don’t mind the interpolation of “changes” by the late XXXTENTACION at the back-end of the verse either.

Of the 3 protégés that Lil Tecca has taken under his wing & signed to Galactic/Republic so far, I respectfully think tana is the most promising of the bunch & Gaultier further cements that in my personal opinion. From the improved production choices to the passionate performances & catchy songwriting, this is a solid major label debut that demonstrates how much he’s grown as an artist within the last 5 years & gives me the feeling that it’s only the beginning.

Score: 3.5/5

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Smokingskul – “Bready” review

This is the 28th EP from emerging Swedish-American recording artist Smokingskul. Coming up in the spring of 2018 off his debut EP Souls, it wasn’t until this past fall where my little brother & UnreleasedSnip founder Jacob! played some of his shit for me during a smoke session. Namely the singles “Assembly Line” & “Vlone”. I was so impressed by the witty lyricism throughout both of those cuts, that it intrigued me enough to check out the Geffen Records-backed Nat Cap a few days later. I didn’t get to cover his previous EP Swedish Guy a few weeks later, but was most certainly intrigued to hear Bready following it’s announcement over the weekend.

“Chicken Wing” is a bombastic trap opener spitting about his mob ties even including an insane Backyardagains reference whereas “Aesthetic” comes through with a more synth-based approach calling out those who want his formula kin to a Krabby Patty or matching much like Freddy Krueger & Jason Voorhees. “Blue Zan” delivers a chaotic trap instrumental from TDF loving the blick more than rednecks along with getting Starbucks & how he ain’t Dunkin’, but then “Comic Con” almost has a cloudy flare to it talking about everything being real with him.

However with “Move”, we have Skul airing out the artists who be purpin’ & making all the opps accompanied by some sub-bass & synthesizers while the song “Fed 2” is a short yet aggressive sequel to the highlight “Fed” off his 22nd EP Da Slimeprint nearly 10 months ago at this point. The penultimate track “Green” goes into more pluggier turf letting y’all know what he’s sipping on & being off that white à la Charlie Sheen just before the rage-inducing closer “Perks on Hand” ties things up talking about staying to himself.

In comparison to everyone else that’s apart of the Taliban collective, Smokingskul has only been further revealing himself to be my favorite member within the past few months & Bready solidifies that for being the kick-off to what I personally believe will be the biggest year of his career to date. The production year again hones in on the plugg sound that he blew up off of as his distinct voice, invigoratingly aggressive delivery & witty gangsta raps continue to cement him as one of the most exciting new faces in the subgenre.

Score: 4/5

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