Marv Won – “Rabbits Can’t Shoot” review

This is the 2nd EP from Detroit emcee/producer Marv Won. Coming up as a part of the world famous Fat Killahz, he has gone on to become well respected in the battle circuit & has released a total of 4 solo albums, with the latest being Sooner Than Later this past winter. But out of nowhere, Marv has decided to drop Rabbits Can’t Shoot on Bandcamp for 24 hours only just to see who really fucks. with him.

The title track at the very start of the EP has a soulful boom bap instrumental criticizing the saying “ain’t no fun when the rabbit got the gun” whereas “E.A.R. (Everybody A Rapper)” is a grimy shot at wack emcees. Clemmye, Guilty Simpson & Ty Farris tag along for the cold blooded “Harmony Korine” leading into him proclaiming that he speaks in “Divinity” accompanied by an angelic beat.

The harmonious “Raise a Glass” calls out those praying on his downfall & still being here while the penultimate track “Spin the Block” works in a soul sample talking about getting money for all intensive purposes. The closer “Like My Daddy” with Ro Spit is a beautiful piano ballad looking back on their childhoods.

For a surprise release, Rabbits Can’t Shoot absolutely delivers. Marv gets a lot off his chest through the pen, almost all the features come correct & I still maintain his production is the best it’s ever sounded after all these years in the game.

Score: 4/5

Yeat – “Trëndi” review

Yeat is a 21 year old rapper from Portland, Oregon who first emerged in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue Strips. He just dropped his 3rd mixtape Alivë back in April as well a 4th tale 4L just a couple months back but with his next full-length Up 2 Më in the works, Yeat has decided to give listeners an appetizer before the main course with his 5th EP.

“Mad ‘Bout That” kicks things off with a grisly sequel to “Sorry ‘Bout That” whereas “Fukit” is an energetic follow-up based around the expression of nonchalance. The penultimate track “Insidë Out” with SeptembersRich finds the 2 flexin’ over an instrumental from Rio Leyva of Internet Money Records that sounds clearly inspired by Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red & then the closer “Tonka 2” serves as a wavy sequel to “Tonka” off Alivë produced by BNYX from Working on Dying.

This kid’s profile has only been increasing within the last couple months & it’s really not hard to see why. I think he has a unique voice, the hunger is there in his performances/songwriting & has a decent ear for production. At this rate, Up to Me will definitely propel him to the next level.

Score: 3.5/5

Daniel Son – “JWP” review

This is the 5th EP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada emcee Daniel Son. Coming up as a member of the Brown Bag Money collective, his profile began to rapidly increase in the underground off projects like his debut mixtape The Gunners or the sophomore album Yenaldooshi. He recently dropped the Cuns-produced EP Dojo back in March to commemorate the 1-year anniversary of his previous album Dirty Dishes, but is now enlisting Ramzee for JWP.

“Above the Law” has a bit of a woozy feel in the instrumental with Daniel talking about how the cops will never catch him whereas “Tempo” is an airy boom bap cut saying he used to smell the hate on the new believers. “Haunted” goes into a more jazzier direction talking about your girl checking him naked just before proclaiming he’ll make sure the coast is clean on the soulful “Pinot Gris”. The penultimate track “Fried Burbot” works is a rap rock cut detailing the mud life while “The Ends” finishes off has a great trumpet loop & lyrics about the struggle never ending.

Dojo was good, but JWP to me is a much more consistent product. I like how Ramzee’s production ranges from boom bap to jazz & at this point, I think Daniel Son could very well be my favorite lyricist in the Canadian hip hop scene right now. I hope this & Dojo are warm-ups for a new album because I would love for him to get an all-star lineup of beat-makers on it.

Score: 4/5

Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King”

This is the latest EP from Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim. Coming up as an affiliate of Griselda Records alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, he also has a incredibly vast discography with a couple of standouts being Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. His 18th full-length album Dump Gawd: Stock Lord just dropped a little over a month ago & after Nicholas Craven teased a project with him on Twitter recently, we’re finally getting it in the form of Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King.

“Dear Friend” is a beautiful piano ballad to open up the EP with him & Your Old Droog saying they’re always cooking referencing 14-time WWE world champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & current WWE COO Triple H alongside 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T whereas “Look What You Done” takes a more soulful approach talking about being strapped. Droog returns to ask the listener introspective questions on the lachrymose “Lost His Way”, just before dedicating the heartfelt “Wit Out a Question” to his peoples. Especially with the chilling vocal loop.

The song “Big George Bombs” is the only one on the entire EP that Craven didn’t produce, but I love the harmonious sample Fahim flips for him to say he’s loading up like George Foreman did to Joe Frazier. The penultimate track “Crypto” goes into chipmunk soul territory talking about that’s what he blew his $100K on while “Bitter End” serves as a jazzy closer calling out those who’re trying to keep him piss poor.

Stock Lord was good, but I like this a lot more & I’ll even go as far to call it one of the best Fahim projects yet. He’s at his most genuine on some of these cuts & Nicholas Craven continues to solidify himself as one of the best producers in the underground today.

Score: 4.5/5

Skepta – “All In” review

Skepta is a 38 year old rapper, songwriter & producer from London, England, United Kingdom notable for co-founding the Boy Better Know collective just 16 years back. However, a lot of people in the state including myself didn’t hop on board with him until 2016 when he dropped his 4th album Konnichiwa to critical acclaim. This was followed up a couple years back with Ignorance is Bliss but after laying low throughout 2020, he’s preluding a new album by dropping a sophomore EP.

“Bellator” starts things out with a wavy tribute to Pop Smoke whereas “Peace of Mind” with KiD CuDi & Teezee is a clubbier tune about how fine their bitches are. The song “Nirvana” with J Balvin takes a turn into Latin territory saying they’re gonna take their women to a place of happiness while the penultimate track “Lit Like This” is just him flexing & the instrumental almost has a dancehall quality to it. Then there’s “Eyes on Me” which samples “Oi” by Platinum 45 & says no one can diss them.

Overall, I like All In a tad bit more than Ignorance is Bliss. Despite being an EP, I admire how he shoots for many different production styles & you can tell he really took his time with it, as he hadn’t recorded anything this year prior to. Hopefully this next full-length of his can reach the bar that Konnichiwa did.

Score: 3.5/5

Melo Meezy – “Sol Food” review

Melo Meezy is a 26 year old MC/producer from Compton, California who first emerged in the fall of 2019 when he dropped his debut EP No Wolves in the Circus. However for this short follow-up right here, he’s enlisting local producer Ra to jump behind the boards from start to finish.

After the “Seek Out Life” Intro, the first song “Cruise Control” is a hazy opener talking about getting it on his own whereas “Yours Truly” has a jazzy yet soulful tone instrumentally saying he’s gonna take it all win or lose. “No Options” takes an atmospheric turn thanking God for his accomplishments while the penultimate track “The Games We Play” works in a slowed down vocal sample as Melo asks what the word is. Then there’s “From the Sol”, which is a peaceful closer saying he plays to win.

Coming away from this EP, I can definitely hear the potential in Melo. The hunger is undeniably there when you ready into his lyrics & Ra reveals himself as one of the most promising producers on the come up right now because he totally hones in on the smoky sound he goes for on here.

Score: 3.5/5

B-Side – “The Essence” review

This is the long-awaited debut EP from Detroit emcee B-Side. Most notable for being 1/2 of the duo Sidenotes, the man wouldn’t branch off until the release of his debut mixtape The Vertigo 1.5 in the summer of 2013. This was followed up the next year with A Side Called B & then B-Side Wins Again at the tail end of 2018. However, it’s been all leading up to The Essence right here.

“20 Million” kicks things off with a dusty boom bap instrumental from Foul Mouth & the amount B-Side wants until he retires whereas “Mission Statement” takes things into soul/electro turf with the help of Black Bethoven telling you to consider this as such. “Supply & Demand” is a bluesy Sidenotes reunion as if they never left leading into the almost jazzy & vivid story of the “Invisible Man”.

Meanwhile on “Listen Up”, we have Mr. Wrong & Tone Plummer coming into the fold to turn the track into torture porn with an almost funky instrumental just before he takes you on some “A.P.A. (Action Packed Adventures)” with a booming beat from Konnie Ross. The title track has a bit of a spacious feel with the help of Pig Pen reminiscing on his come up as an artist, but then “The One & Only!!” closes things out with a rock-influenced instrumental from DJ Los & lyrics about his uniqueness.

Been a long time coming, but I’m glad this day has finally come because you’re hearing B-Side at his best throughout The Essence. Dude’s pen-game is witty & I dig how he sticks to that vintage hip hop sound.

Score: 4/5

(həd) p.e. – “Sandmine” review

This is the 6th EP from renown Huntington Beach g-punk outfit (həd) p.e., which has always been masterminded by Jahred Gomes despite it’s revolving door of members throughout the 27 years they’ve been together. Standouts in the crew’s discography include their self-titled debut, Broke, Back 2 Base X, Insomnia, New World Orphans, Truth Rising & even their previous album Class of 2020 that came out the day before Broke’s 20 year anniversary last summer. It was originally intended to be the group’s last effort for a while but due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the 2020 presidential election & the birth of Jahred’s daughter, (həd) p.e. is channeling all of their inspiration from all 3 of those events into Sandmine with the help of Suburban Noize Records backing it.

The title track is a thrashy opener quenching for blood whereas “False Prophets” serves as a punky jab at Donald Trump. The song “R.T.R. (Respect The Republic)” goes into rap rock territory talking about rebellion while the penultimate track “Deathtrip” is a skate punk joint with Jahred talking about risking his life. Finally there’s “Let Me Know”, which is a reggae rock cut trying to figure out what’s on his lovers’ mind.

Class of 2020 was a great throwback to (həd) p.e.’s roots & Sandmine is just as great to me personally. Once again, they’re taking it back to the basics except Jahred & company sound a lot more pissed off than they did when we last heard them 11 months prior.

Score: 4/5

Destroy Lonely – “XO” review

Destroy Lonely is a 19 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia notable for being the son of former Disturbing tha Peace Records signee I-20. He’s released a total of 10 EPs since originally breaking out through SoundCloud a couple years back & with his born day coming up next Friday, he’s celebrating by dropping a 11th EP out of nowhere further garnering interest of record labels eager to make him a part of their roster.

“tokyoto” is a spacey, boisterous way to kick things off whereas “i got ‘em” shows off the shit he has now on top a peppy trap beat from Ginseng. The song “okay ya!” takes a more lo-fi direction to address those who say he changed up while the penultimate track “do the most…” works in some heavy bass & vintage video game samples from Clayco saying he didn’t have to ask for shit. Then there’s “Ok (What I Do)”, which is a cloudy finisher saying they can’t replicate him.

Personally, this could very well be my favorite EP that Lonely has put out thus far. His songwriting is catchy as are the performances & his ear for production is admirable too. Definitely someone to be looking out for in the SoundCloud scene right now. Looking forward to what he has to offer on No Stylist.

Score: 3.5/5

xhulooo – “Rude & Reno” review

xhulooo is a 16 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who first emerged through SoundCloud at the very beginning of 2019. He’s gone on to drop a total of 6 EPs since then but after taking a 9-month hiatus following the previous one ##Enigma: Uncut from last October, the up-&-comer is reemerging with a 7th EP.

“42” kicks the EP off with some strings & hi-hats to talk about putting a motherfucker in the woods whereas “Red Hair” jumps on top of a cloudy beat to say he doesn’t blame anyone who hates him because he’s getting money.

The song “Bathing Ape” flexes over an uptempo instrumental while the penultimate track “Fresh” is a rubbery homage to the late Bankroll Fresh. Finally there’s “Promise”, which has a euphoric ring to the production & Xhulooo to acknowledge that they’re watching him.

Overall, I’m pretty impressed with what this kid had to offer with Rude & Reno. I like the playful production & his performances are super catchy. Whenever he drops a full-length debut down the road, it’s bound to be his magnum opus.

Score: 3.5/5