Flying Monk – “Skullduggery” review

Flying Monk is a 30 year old MC from Bristol, England, United Kingdom known for being apart of the Split Prophets collective. Although he’s made a handful of guest appearances across multiple releases over the course of almost a decade like his fellow Prophet brethren Upfront MC or Res 1’s respective solo debuts Upfront & Personal and Delph Efficiency as well as Datkid’s first EP Grubby Mits to name a few, but has yet to make a proper collection of solo output until this extended play.

After the intro, “Fuck the Fame” gets things going with this creepy boom bap instrumental from Axel Holy explaining that the Monk could give a fuck less about the clout whereas “The Get Back” produced by Badhabitz offering advice on what to do if you wanna talk shit. “Can’t Deny” eerily talks about the Prophets never falling because they’re too fly & after telling all these muhfuckas to get their asses “Back to Work”, the final song “Levels” concludes by boasting that he’s on a level they didn’t think he could reach

Unfortunately he has since passed away, but I’m happy that Flying Monk was able to give us Skullduggery when he had the chance considering that Bil Next is now the only remaining Split Prophet who has yet to go solo much like how Salar’s the only Cult of the Damned member that doesn’t have any solo material under his belt. From the grimy production to Anbu flowing without the need of any guest appearances, this EP proves exactly what he was capable of doing on his own.

Score: 4/5

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Canibus – “C” review

This is the 5th EP from Kingston emcee Canibus. Coming up as 1/2 of the duo T.H.E.M. alongside C.I. about 3 decades ago, they eventually split up a few years later & Bis would blow up in ‘97 after appearing on the LL Cool J song “4, 3, 2, 1” that later resulted in a beef between both parties. He would then go on to make a lengthy yet consistent discography with albums like Rip the Jacker being breathtaking at best & then Mind Control being unlistenable at worst. He just dropped Body Bag Ben-produced 16th full-length Kaiju this past winter after a 3 year break & it wounded up being one of his better albums in his discography, even though the follow-up 1 Step Closer to ∞ was a little underwhelming. But when I found out that one of my top 5 producers Pete Rock was coming in to lace C from front to back, I had to check it out for myself.

“Princibly This” is an incredibly jazzy opener with ‘Bis talking about how life’s a bitch while the next track “Poet’s Palaquin” pulls from some Bollywood influences spitting bars like “They stealth bombed Wakanda after they killed Black Panther” & “You know this, still the dopest. Free the people like Moses, hyper focused with both barrels loaded ‘cause I’m a Poet”. The closer however is just a remix of the song they did on Time Flys, Life Dies…Phoenix Rise almost 7 years ago at this point except it’s more soulful & Bronze Nazareth is spitting a fresh verse on it.

Even though I’m a little disappointed that it’s only 2 songs & a remix, I still enjoyed what I heard & I’d definitely recommend it to the hardcore fans. Canibus sounds much more focused than he did on 1 Step Closer to ∞ & as far as the production goes, it’s pretty much night & day unsurprisingly.

Score: 3.5/5

Jae Skeese – “Iroquois Pliskin” review

This is the 2nd EP from Buffalo emcee Jae Skeese. Coming up in late 2010 off debut mixtape W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks), it wasn’t until a decade later where he & 7xvethegenius got their biggest break thus far after the very first signees to Conway the Machine’s very own EMPIRE Distribution imprint Drumwork Music Group. He just dropped his 7th mixtape Revolver Ocelot last fall ahead up his upcoming Drumwork debut album Abolished Uncertainties, but now we’re getting another prelude with Iroquois Pliskin.

“71 Custer” is a jazzy, soulful opener giving y’all his story whereas “Against tha Grain” with Conway & Flee Lord finds the trio talking about not being the usual over a pillowy boom bap instrumental from Cee Gee. “EKIN 2” takes a cloudier route for a sequel to a Revolver Ocelot joint that I like more than predecessor while the song “Sometimes (Faith)” with Stove God Cook$ sees the 2 over a smooth beat talking about the days they be having. The penultimate track “Naked Truth” with Elcamino comes through with a slicker follow up trying to see one is made of & “Tumbled Leather” ends the EP by minimally talking about how life’s a bitch.

As the anticipation for Abolished Uncertainties continues, Skeese continues to prelude it with some of the best work of his career so far. I really fuck with how much he puts his artistic progression from W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks) up to now on full display with his songwriting & production choices continuing to level up.

Score: 3.5/5

Ty Farris – “Moments of Mayhem” review

Ty Farris is a 41 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who came up under the name T-Flame. He was featured on a lot of projects throughout the mid-2000’s until the very end of the decade where he started to put out solo stuff at a prolific rate from Tyrant to Room 39. But with his profile continually increasing within the last year or so & dropping Practice Raps back in January & then No Cosign, Just Cocaine 4 in November, but is now preluding the 5th & final installment with his 3rd EP produced entirely by Italy’s very own Slim 1.

“Glorious” is an appropriately titled opener as Ty hops on top of a bare orchestral loop shoving his greatness in everyone’s faces whereas “Here’s the Shovel” works in some foreboding horns talking about being self made. The song “Sure Shot” brings back the strings with some piano chords describing being the product of a poor block while the penultimate track “Scary Jungle” goes into angelic boom bap territory talking about never crumbling. The EP ends with “Highly Favored”, where Bub Styles & Mickey Diamond join Ty over some alluring choir vocals to gloat their big dog statuses.

Ty has pretty much proven himself to be one of the greatest MCs to ever come out of this reviewer’s hometown at this point & for him to give us Moments of Mayhem as a prelude to NCJC5, the fans will absolutely be satisfied with it. I’m very much looking forward to hearing who else Slim 1 will be producing next because his sound goes hand in hand with Ty’s raw lyricism.

Score: 4/5

Ty Fontaine – “B.4.B.M.G. (Before Beautiful Michi Girls): The Experience” review

This is the 4th EP from Washington, D.C. rapper Ty Fontaine. Breaking out in 2018 off the debut EP Do Not Disturb, his profile continued to grow from there & eventually landed in a short-lived deal with Internet Money Records. The last I covered Ty on my platform was last summer when he dropped Ascension & with B.M.G. (Beautiful Michi Girls) coming down down the pipe later this year, he’s preluding it by dropping B.4.B.M.G. (Before Beautiful Michi Girls): The Experience.

“Keep IT Real” is a great opener with it’s triumphant horn sections advising to stay truthful to him while the song “OutTheWay” takes a synth-heavy route talking about avoiding fuck shit. The penultimate track “WE or I” is an acoustic ballad showing his love to his better half & “Love4free” ends the EP with a decent lil R&B jam about needing his girl’s company for everything he does.

Whether these are gonna be on B.M.G. (Beautiful Michi Girls) or not, I think it’s a dope appetizer before the main course. I really admire how much he experiments with new sounds throughout & this album could really expand more on the versatility he’s shown here.

Score: 3.5/5

Skribbal – “Man with the Screaming Brain” review

This is the 3rd EP from Los Angeles, California emcee Skribbal. Coming 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. However after dropping In Their Blood…& from the Gutter a couple months back, Skribbal is already following it up by dropping Man with the Screaming Bad on his Bandcamp out of nowhere.

“Child of the State” kicks off the whole EP on some jazzy boom bap shit talking about what he’s learned throughout the course of his life whereas the Joe Blak-assisted “At War with the Enemy” works in some dusty drums & somber piano chords to spit some battle raps. The title track has a cloudy trap vibe taking about smoking motherfuckers while the penultimate song “Biz Markie” incorporates some organs to pay homage to the late Juice Crew member of the same name. Kaze Jones then comes into the picture for the closer “Shogun Assassins”, which fuses an operatic vocal sample with some pianos declaring themselves as the dynamic duo.

Now in comparison to In Their Blood…& from the Gutter being inspired by Dave Berkowitz, he takes it back to the hardcore style of Black Eyed Childrenon Man with the Screaming Brain. The features are bit underwhelming, but Skribbal manages to deliver some impressive performances on top of production of the traditional boom bap style.

Score: 3.5/5

Hatfield – “No Change” review

Hatfield is an MC from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who’s been steadily been dropping singles for over a year now like “Tax” & more recently “Did It All Without a Quake Feature”. But for his debut EP, he’s enlisting local producer DJ BLKUOS behind the boards for the whole thing given that they’ve been working with each other quite a bit as of late.

“Greenery” is a spacious boom bap opener telling everyone to leave him be whereas “Ohohh” takes a more calmer approach talking about acting clean around him. “No Lunch” returns to boom bap territory asking the lil homies what they doing leading into the groovy “My Ppl” paying tribute to his people of course. The song “Crosstheline” comes through with some heavy auto-tune detailing relationship issues while the title track takes a soulful route talking about being the one. “Stuck” ends the EP on a trap note challenging his opposition.

Overall, I think these guys gave us an impressive EP right here & I’m very intrigued by what they’re gonna do next. The amount of versatility that both parties show from Hatfield’s gritty raps to auto-tuned singing as well as DJ BLKLUOS’ production ranging from boom bap to trap really go hand-in-hand with each other & as a result, they present an admirably natural chemistry.

Score: 3.5/5

Your Old Droog – “YOD Wave” review

This is the 5th EP from Ukrainian-American emcee/producer Your Old Droog. Emerging in the underground off his self-titled debut, many first thought he was an alter ego of Nas given that their voices are somewhat similar. Nonetheless, the guy has reached legend status at this point by proving that he was in his own lane off later albums such as Packs & It Wasn’t Even Close. But coming fresh off the incredibly conceptual TIME & Space Bar over the summer & fall respectively, Droog is kicking off his 2022 by enlisting Nicholas Craven to fully produce YOD Wave.

“Fela Kuti” kicks off the whole EP with some gorgeous piano melodies saying he’s being away for too long whereas “Scooby Snacks” takes a more soulful boom bap route looking back on where he came from before getting back to business. “.500” works in some dramatic string sections talking about having less than nothing just before the organ-laced “Purple Rain Freestyle (Game, Blouses)” comes through with some braggadocio.

The song “Black n Red Huaraches” with Tha God Fahim finds the 2 comparing their lives to operas even though the instrumental is my least favorite on the whole EP while the penultimate track “Lost Love” gets romantic over a drumless chipmunk soul sample. Fahim returns once more for the closer “Body Right, Mind Right” to jump on top of some solemn piano chords talking about taking no one’s advice.

Coming from someone who’s been down with Droog since the beginning, I genuinely believe that YOD Wave is the best EP he’s made yet. It’s not as conceptual as his last 2 albums, but he’s just spitting nothing but pure heat for 20 minutes accompanied by some of the most astonishing production that Craven had to offer.

Score: 4.5/5

RZA – “Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater” review

RZA is a 52 year old MC, producer, actor & filmmaker from New York City who’s widely recognized as being the de facto leader the almighty Wu-Tang Clan. But he was the 2nd & last person of the group following GZA to come out with a solo effort before their full-length debut Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, dropping his debut EP Ooh I Love You Rakeem under Tommy Boy Records just 5 months after The Genius put out his full-length debut Words from the Genius under Cold Chillin’ Records. It wasn’t until late ‘98 though where RZA put out his own debut album Bobby Digital in Stereo, which I think gets criminally overlooked because people were expecting The Cure. He then followed it up with a worthy sequel Digital Bullet, but I can’t say the same for Birth of a Prince or the conclusion to the Bobby Digital trilogy Digi Snax. But after teasing it during Method Man & Redman’s 4/20 Verzuz, he’s returning from a 14-year break in the form of his 4th EP produced entirely by DJ Scratch.

After the intro”, the title track kicks it all off on a symphonic note as Bobby Digital makes his glorious return whereas “Pugilism” mixes some keyboards & strings to get in his shit-talking bag except his vocals are mixed WAY better than it was when he originally dropped it on YouTube last spring. “Never Love Again” keeps the orchestra vibes going getting lovey dovey while the song “Fate of the World” dispiritedly vents about the current state of the world. The penultimate track “Fisherman” goes into jazzy territory talking about how “no one knows for whom the bell tolls” & lastly, “Kaiju” ends the EP getting conscious on top of a militant beat.

I really didn’t know what to expect from this EP given how mid Birth of a Prince & Digi Snax were as well as the 14 year time gap, but I can honestly say this is The Abbot’s best solo effort in 2 decades. I love how DJ Scratch’s production is pretty much a love letter to The RZA’s unique sound down to the Kung Fu movie samples as he details the collision between him & his alter-ego.

Score: 4/5

Jynx716 – “Careful What You Wish For” review

Jynx716 is a 33 year old MC from Niagara Falls, New York who came to my attention in 2020 off his debut mixtape The Green Album. This was followed up last spring with his debut EP The 33 & now just a month after killing a verse on Che Noir’s sophomore album Food for Thought, he’s enlisting Che to produce his 2nd EP from top to bottom & it definitely had me curious to check it out.

“Focus” kicks off the EP with some bells & a high-pitched vocal sample talking about avoiding trouble whereas the Ransom-assisted “Legacy” finds the 2 proclaiming themselves as legends on top of a captivating instrumental. “Electrifying” encourages listeners to stash more & stay in the moment over some fresh ass guitar licks while Stove God Cook$ tags along for the soulful “Lava Lamp” talking about going from broke to where they are now. Jamal Gasol’s verse on the penultimate track “Bitcoin” is a little underwhelming even though I like the chipmunk soul inspired production & “Wake Up” ends the EP on a cinematic note talking about how it’s his turn.

Dude’s been raising this for a few months now & to finally hear it, I can say Careful What You Wish For is the best thing he’s has done yet. Che Noir’s production is incredibly consistent & Jynx is just bringing his A-game rapping his ass off. If he keeps it up at this rate, I feel like he’ll be getting even better over time

Score: 4/5