CyHi the Prynce – “EGOT” review

CyHi the Prynce is a 37 year old MC & singer/songwriter from Stone Mountain, Georgia who originally came up in ‘09 when Akon signed him to Konvict Muzik for a short period of time. He then jumped ship to Kanye West’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint G.O.O.D. Music, dropping a total of 7 mixtapes & a full-length debut under the Chicago, Illinois icon’s wing. We haven’t heard much from him since then but in preparation for his sophomore album The Story of EGOT coming this summer & founding his very own label EGOT Records backed by EMPIRE Distribution, CyHi is returning with his debut EP.

“Extra” opens up the EP with a horn-laced trap banger talking about feeling a little too cocky while the song “Help Me God” goes into chipmunk soul territory with CyHi delivering a message to the higher power. The penultimate track “Slide” returns to a trappier vibe with some jazzy undertones to it talking about sliding forever, but then “Tears” closes out the EP with a emotional ballad encouraging listeners that it’s alright to cry accompanied by a cavernous instrumental.

Now I’m not sure if any of these cuts are gonna make their way onto The Story of EGOT but nonetheless, I think CyHi gave us an enjoyable appetizer to warm us up for the main course. He sounds rejuvenated on the mic & I really like the amalgamation of sounds that the producers bring to the table ranging from trap to jazz rap & chipmunk soul. Definitely excited for the album later this summer.

Score: 3.5/5

MC Ren – “Osiris” review

MC Ren is a 52 year old MC, songwriter & producer from Compton, California who got his start when Eazy-E signed him to Ruthless Records as a solo act in 1987 & enlisted him to write half of his full-length debut Eazy-Duz-It. This resulted in him joining N.W.A & they went on to become one of the most impactful groups in hip hop history even to this day. But it wouldn’t be until the summer of ‘92 where he started building a solo career for himself with the debut EP Kizz My Black Azz & has since dropped 4 albums of his own, with the last being Renicarnated a little over a decade ago at this point. However, Ren is returning after 13 years & has enlisted Tha Chill of Compton’s Most Wanted to fully produce his 2nd EP.

After the intro, “Keep It Gangsta” sets it off with Ren admitting he’s feeling like Roy Jones Jr. on top of an instrumental giving off a vintage west coast flare to it whereas the title track goes into more trap territory sampling the classic Raekwon joint “Ice Cream talking about him just chilling. Kurupt tags along for the minimally produced “Fire” getting in their battle rap bag just before “The News” takes a soulful route with socially conscious lyricism. The song song “Time” is a cool reflection on the old days over a slick instrumental while the penultimate “Hub City Love” with Tha Chill finds the pair over some pianos paying tribute to their old stomping grounds. “The Anthem” ends the EP with a gritty ass posse cut accompanied by the likes of Cold 187um, J-D, Jayo Felony, Ras Kass & of course Tha Chill.

Ren has always been one of the most underappreciated forces behind N.W.A in my opinion & Osiris continues to show that because I think this is not only a great comeback from the Villain himself, but it’s also the best solo effort he’s made since Ruthless for Life. It makes me really happy to hear that him passionate on the mic again & Tha Chill’s production is incredibly consistent as well.

Score: 4/5

Young Z – “Scumbag” review

Young Z is a 51 year old MC from Newark, New Jersey who came up in the early 90s as a founding member of the Outsidaz. He then branched out solo in ‘96 with the full-length debut Musical Meltdown, which was followed up 16 years later with the Mr. Green-produced 1 Crazy Weekend. Fast forward a decade later, Z’s returning once more by dropping a debut EP under the newly formed Hand to Hand Records based out in Australia.

“D.N.A. (Dat N***a Ass)” is an unsettling boom bap opener where Z’s just ripping on everyone’s favorite rapper whereas “Monkey Bars” with Vinnie Paz almost has a bit of a Middle Eastern flare to the instrumental bragging about how sick their rhymes are. The title track responds to those asking why he doesn’t speak on himself or his relationships over a mystic beat just before “Slave Son” is a deranged piano ballad talking about his grandpa.

The song “S.T.F.U. (Shut the Fuck Up)” with Pacewon finds the 2 heinously reminding everyone to keep their mouths shut when they’re talking, but then the penultimate track “Go Fund Me” works in an alluring vocal sample to get back in his battle rap bag even though R’s verse is pretty weak. “Tonight” with Rah Digga however ends the EP on a cinematic note saying they don’t wanna shoot no one.

For anyone who missed the Outsidaz de factoleader as much as I did, then do yourself a favor & PLEASE give Scumbag a listen because I think it’s a great comeback effort. Flu’s production from front to back is incredibly dark & Z’s casually destroying mics like he never went away for a decade.

Score: 4/5

Your Old Droog – “YOD Stewart” review

Your Old Droog is a Ukrainian lyricist by way of Brooklyn, New York who caught my attention when he dropped his self-titled debut & many first thought he was an alter ego of Nas given that their voices are somewhat similar. Nonetheless, he’s reached legend status at this point by proving that he was in his own lane off later projects such as Packs as well as It Wasn’t Even Close & TIME. He just his incredible 5th EP YOD Wave produced entirely by Nicholas Craven almost 3 months ago at this point & is following it up in the form of a 6th EP.

“Nightmares & Dreams” is a psychedelic opener produced by Conductor Williams talking about appreciating the simpler things in life whereas the drumless yet atmospheric “Mind Your Business” saying we’re better off if we don’t stick our noses where it don’t belong. “I Knew You Was a Bitch” works in some pianos to call out an ex of his leading into “Toxic Love” being a more abstract cut detailing how poisonous this woman was to him.

The song “Love & Basketball” mixes in a soul sample & a guitar to describe his new bitch while the penultimate track “Go to Sleep” has a jazzy boom bap flare to it thanks to Tha God Fahim talking about staying home some days to cash out. “The Ballad of Krutoy” ends the EP with some organ melodies admitting that he feels like crying sometimes even though the tears won’t just come out.

Although I find YOD Wave to be more superior, that’s not to say YOD Stewart isn’t worth checking out for those who fuck with Droog as much as I do. The production takes it back to the more abstract vibes of some of his more recent work & I admire how personal the lyrics tend to be during it’s short runtime.

Score: 3.5/5

Rick Hyde – “Stima” review

This is the 9th EP from Buffalo emcee/producer Rick Hyde. One of the flagship artists on Benny the Butcher’s very own MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records, he would go on to drop the impressive full-length debut Plates at the beginning of 2019 after warming everyone up with his first 7 EPs a feature-studded sequel last summer that was preluded by an EP of it’s own. But coming fresh off that, Ricky’s still applying pressure by releasing Stima.

“Who Am I?!” opens up the EP with a chipmunk soul banger properly reintroducing himself to the world whereas “Y Bother Talkin’?” works in some operatic vocal loops to declare no mercy on the weak minded. “Arrivederci” takes a more sinister approach in terms of sound dissing the wankstas leading into the braggadocious “La Spina”, which goes into somewhat of a more futuristic direction with the instrumental.

Meanwhile on “Like This”, we’re treated to a dusty yet raw B$F posse cut describing what real d-boys look like while the song “Ms. Young” gets on his hustler shit & the beat here is kinda similar to that of “Lemon” off Conway the Machine’s classic debut From King to a God. The penultimate track “Poza” with Rome Streetz finds the 2 over a brassy Alchemist instrumental belittling their competition & “Perspective” finishes it off on a glossier note talking about where he’s at now.

For an EP, I’d say Ricky delivered some of the best work of his career with Stima. In comparison to his last album, I really admire how he decided to step it up in the production department & tone it down on the features so he remind everyone that he can undoubtedly hold it down on his own because some of his best pen-work pops up here.

Score: 4/5

Conway the Machine – “Organized Grime 2” review

Conway the Machine is a 40 year old MC & entrepreneur from Buffalo, New York who blew up in late 2015 as part of the 3 OGs of Griselda Records alongside his brother Westside Gunn & their cousin Benny the Butcher. Ever since the trio have rose to prominence, they’ve had hip hop on lock by their constant work ethic balancing quality & quality as well as vividly detailing their lives in the streets on top of boom bap production kin to that of RZA & Havoc in their music. Con’s full-length debut From King to a God was my Album of the Year for 2020 & just dropped his Shady Records-backed sophomore effort God Don’t Make Mistakes back in February, which is the most personal he’s ever been. But to celebrate his freedom from Eminem-owned Interscope Records imprint, La Maquina is reuniting with Trillmatic Goods to host his 10th EP.

After the rock-tinged intro, the first song “Chop 22” kicks off the EP with a lavish Mephux instrumental with Con declaring he’s still on go time whereas the soulful “Phone Call” produced by Detroit’s very own Apollo Brown talking about earning everything he has from hustling. Rome Streetz tags along for “Murder He Wrote” to advise you don’t push them backed by a ghoulish boom bap beat from Hobgoblin leading into Benny the Butcher & Flee Lord coming into the picture for the cloudy “Marathon” talking about running it on the blocks.

After the “Intermission” interlude, the 2nd half of the EP starts off with the cinematic “State” reminding that he’s the illest rapper alive just before the organ-laced “From the Bottom” reflecting on coming up from nothing. The penultimate song “Soul Cry” with T.F. finds the 2 over some horns talking about never capping & prior to the turntablism outro, “Keep Up” with Vic Spencer ends the EP on a jazzy note pointing out that they can’t keep up with them.

Organized Grime is one of the best EPs that Conway has ever put out in my opinion & I happen to think this sequel is even better than it’s predecessor. In comparison to the much more personal approach that God Don’t Make Mistakes took, Con sounds a lot more rawer lyrically & some of the best producers in the underground currently went as hard as he did behind the boards.

Score: 4.5/5

Buckshot – “I’m the Boss” review

Buckshot is a 47 year old MC/producer from New York City coming up in the early 90’s as the frontman of the trio Black Moon & the Boot Camp Clik collective along with for founding one of the most beloved record labels in all of hip hop Duck Down Music with the assistance of his business partner Dru Ha. Not only would The B.D.I. Thug & Backpack Travels become the only 2 solo albums he’s put out to date, but Hanif Alwin al-Sadiq would also form a duo with 9th Wonderdropping 3 full-lengths together & a collab effort with KRS-One called Backpack Skills. But in light of him getting into the NFT game, he’s celebrating by dropping a debut EP.

After the “UPG” intro, the first song “Hey” opens up the EP with a dramatic boom bap instrumental from none other than Da Beatminerz going at the throats of anyone who dares to step up to him in a battle whereas “Come Take a Ride” goes into funkier territory with talking about cruising around at night. “Your Choice” laces some pianos written towards a ride or die bitch leading into “Roll My away” taking a more lavish route & the storytelling throughout Buckshot’s verses painted is very eloquent. The song “Dear Daddy” takes it back to boom bap range talking about his father while the penultimate track “1 Nation” spaciously declaring that it’s time to connect. “Thug Life” ends the EP with a bass guitar-infused tribute to 2Pac.

Considering how much I enjoyed Black Moon’s comeback effort Rise of da Moon a few years back, I was definitely interested in how The B.D.I. Thug would deliver with this EP given how long it’s been since Backpack Travels & it’s definitely worth the listen for any Boot Camp fan. In fact, I’d consider to be some of the best solo material he’s put out yet. Rather than just being lazy & compiling primarily songs that’s been already previously released like Snoop Dogg did with Metaverse: The NFT Drop, we’re getting all new music from the one who gets the job done & he still sounds great on the mic after being the game for almost 3 decades.

Score: 3.5/5

Jerry – “Entitled” review

Jerry is a 31 year old MC, producer & music video director from Trenton, New Jersey who came up as 1/2 of the duo MellowHype alongside Left Brain in the mid/late 2000s prior to helping I Smell Panties, Casey Veggies & The Jet Age of Tomorrow form the impactful albeit now defunct alternative hip hop collective Odd Future. He was also the first person in the Wolf Gang to put out a solo effort, dropping his debut mixtape The Dena Tape only 9 months after the crew put out their 1st tape as a unit The Odd Future Tape. Jerry would go on to expand his solo discography with 2 more mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to his full-length debut Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide a day before my 20th birthday which to this day, I still think it’s possibly the most criminally overlooked offering that we’ve gotten since OF’s disbandment due to how much growth was shown on that album. But after taking 5 & a half years off to focus on his personal life, Jerry is finally returning with his 4th EP.

“Everyday” sets off the EP with Jerry over some crooning boom bap production from Jeff Wootton & Ging talking about always staying on the grind whereas “People Change” is a MellowHype reunion taking a more minimal trap route addressing his growth as a person. The song “Into Someone” works in an acoustic guitar to get in his romance bag while the penultimate track “We Never Knew” finds MellowHype reuniting once more accompanied by a cloudy trap beat spitting some braggadocio. “Again” ends the EP with yet another acoustic ballad singing about a bitch who’s crazy.

This dude has been off the radar even longer than Kendrick & it’s not my favorite solo effort that he’s done, but it’s very much respectable. I appreciate Jerry trying to expand as an artist & not only do I find how he does it to be solid, but I also knew he’d have some shit to get off his chest lyrically about where he’s at now in life given that he’s been gone for a minute & he delivers.

Score: 3.5/5

Mr. Hyde – “We’re the Nightbreed” review

Mr. Hyde is a 44 year old MC from Queens, New York who came up alongside his Gruesome Twosome cohort & longtime friend/collaborator Necro ever since the death rap inventor conceived Psycho+Logical-Records. After years of being featured on numerous albums from the label, Hyde finally got to shine on his own in the summer of ‘04 with his classic full-length debut Barn of the Naked Dead. He has since gone on to release 4 more albums on his own since then, with the last one being The Boogeyman’s Real in the fall of 2019. But given that it’s been a little over a year since Bonnie & Hyde put out their eponymous debut, it’s fitting for Hyde drop a debut EP on Friday the 13th.

“Don’t Forget My Number” is a demonic boom bap opener spitting the wicked shit whereas “Beast Bars” works in a guitar & some dusty drums talking about how hot his bars are. “Dipped in Death” shoots for a more unsettling atmosphere thanks to Cotardz for Hyde to deliver some brutal death rap while the track “Filthy Beasts” with G-Mo Skee declares themselves as such over an organ-laced instrumental. The final song “Nightbreed” ends the EP by ominously comparing himself to that or a monster & “Putrid Decay” is just a 34 second outro.

Much like Bonnie & Hyde’s self-titled debut from a little over a year ago, We’re the Nightbreed is definitely one of the better projects that Mr. Hyde has put out in recent years. Now I’m not saying he ever lost his step lyrically because he sounds as grisly than ever on this EP, but the production choices are progressively improving & that’s what I like to hear.

Score: 4/5

Onyx – “Onyx vs. Everybody” review

This is the 2nd EP from Queens duo Onyx. Consisting of Sticky Fingaz & Fredro Starr, the first 3 outings Bacdafucup as well as All We Got Iz Us & Shut ‘Em Down are rightfully considered by many to be East Coast classics. They went on to release 2 mediocre albums in the early 2000s before going AWOL, returning in 2014 with the Snowgoons produced #WAKEDAFUCUP. Black Rock was ok Snowmads was a great follow-up to #WAKEDAFUCUP, but Onyx 4 Life & 1993 were as mid as Black Rock to me. That being said, I was very much looking forward to Onyx vs. Everybody given that Fredro is producing the whole thing.

After the titular intro, “It’s Goin’ Down” opens up the EP with some horns talking about going brazy whereas “Shoot Wit” is a raw boom bap banger calling to raise the hand that the shooters let off rounds with. “Real Evil” ominously opens up about killing people leading into Termanology tagging along for the symphonic “Project Gladiators” declaring themselves as such.

“I Rap Like” works in some pianos & dusty drums showing y’all they still got it, but “Bac Up Off Me” with Harrd Luck is so short that there’s literally no point of it being on here in my opinion. The song “Raze the Crime Rate” returns to the raw street life anthems despite the Ricky Bats feature missing the target & after the “Brooklyn Bullshit” interlude, the closer “Talk in New York” with Big Twins rounds everything out with a fresh ode to the 5 boroughs.

For an EP, I think this happens to be one of Onyx’s best bodies of work in a while. I wish it was a little more fleshed out & a couple of the features are questionable, but Fredro schools it behind the boards as he & Sticky Fingaz still deliver the hardcore hip hop style they blew up off of.

Score: 3.5/5