This is the 2nd EP from emcee Jay Jules. Coming up at the very beginning of 2019 off his debut EP 1 Shot, the man has continued to stay busy since then by dropping a handful of singles including “Bills Payed” & “3/4 Choppin’”. However for U.N.I.T.E.D., he’s enlisted Gabiga to produce the whole thing & has brought a wide range of MCs on board.
“U” kicks off the whole EP on some dusty boom bap shit talking about how the way we get it matters whereas the Ned-E assisted “Neglected” takes a mellower turn saying life can’t be easy. Possibility tags along for the summery “Intentions” clarifying that they’re both far from malicious, but then Rapture Boy hops on the piano-laced “Together” talking about love being supreme.
The song “Enemies” with Ms. C-Line somberly finds the 2 saying they have love for those who don’t feel the same towards them while the penultimate track “Different” enlists Mabreeze on top of some synthesizers encouraging listeners to not let people tell them they can’t do shit. “Unity” then ends the EP with a fresh 11-minute cypher showcasing talents from all over the world.
Compared to 1 Shot, I really dig how Jay went in a completely different direction. Gabiga hones it in with the lo-fi production, every MC involved has a style of their own & provide some unique perspectives to the range of themes presented throughout the half hour.
This is the 11th EP from New Jersey emcee Mach-Hommy. Blowing up in the underground off his Griselda-backed sophomore effort H.B.O. (Haitian Body Odor), he & Tha God Fahim fell out with them shortly after only to reconcile this past Christmas & then Mach returned to the label over the spring with one of best albums of the year: Pray for Haiti. But in light of his Dump Gawds colleague Your Old Droog dropping Space Bar last week, Mach is continuing to apply pressure by dropping Balens Cho.
After the “La Prèmiere Bougie” intro, the first song “Labou” starts the whole thing off with Nicholas Craven weaving in some incredible saxophones wittily talking about being the new Rick Rubin & Russell Simmons whereas “La Deuxième” is just a decent interlude. “Separation of the Sheep & the Goats” incorporates a sweet vocal sample humbly opening up about his blessings leading into the “Magnum Band” sequel produced by the late Ras G which I’ll go as far to say is superior & darker than the predecessor.
After the “La Troisième” interlude, we have Mach talking about playing with the Heat longer than Udonis Haslem on “Lajan Sal” accompanied by an instrumental that gives me crazy Italian monster vibes just before the “La Quatrième” interlude comes into play. “Wooden Nickels” is probably the most heart-wrenching cut on the EP cautioning shady motherfuckers while the song “Traditional” cleverly uses the same rhyme scheme throughout over a healthy mix of horns & whistling even though it could’ve been a little bit longer.
After the “La Cinquième” interlude, Tha God Fahim tags along for the penultimate track “Money Magnets” getting on some boom bap shit talking about dominating the rap game & “Self Luh” finishes the EP with Mach encouraging listeners to treat their bodies like it’s the only one they got on top of a comforting beat from Conductor Williams.
I’ve been fiending for this shit hard ever since it was originally announced a month ago & my God is it a great follow-up to Pray for Haiti. The excessive amount of interludes are annoying because they’re all so short that there’s no point of them being on there, but the production is as equally fantastic & Mach still manages to drop bars that’ll make you run it back.
Marv Won is a 40 year old MC/producer from Detroit, Michigan who came up as a part of the world famous Fat Killahz. He’s gone on to become well respected in the battle circuit & has released a total of 4 solo albums, with the previous one being Sooner Than Later last winter. However just a few months after dropping his 2nd EP Rabbits Can’t Shoot over the summer, he’s ending the year by dropping his 3rd EP.
The title track is a perfect opener with it’s boom bap production paying homage to the Marvelous Marvin Hagler himself whereas “Bread Crumbs” takes a more melodic route saying he don’t know why he would want to be like other cats & The Olympicks’ production has this jazzy undertone to it that I just love. “King & Duck” gets back on the boom bap tip as his partner in rhyme Quest MCODY helps take their battle bar skills on wax very well, but then “Salt N Pepper” switches things up by emotionally talking about his father’s death.
The song “Holy Spirits” has a fitting organ-laced instrumental throughout powerfully comparing a liquor store in the hood to a church while the penultimate track “Back at It” by the Twin Towers weaves in a more uncanny beat talking about how it’s all trouble when they get together & rightfully so. Finally, the Chanes-produced “Heavy Bag” couldn’t have finished off the EP any better by sending warning shots at those who want beef with him.
Although I loved the previous EP, Marv really outdoes himself with Hagler over here. It’s refreshing to hear him bring outside producers into the fold with his lyricism being a healthy mix of battle raps & some personal confessions of what’s happened in his life within the last few months.
This is a brand new posthumous EP from Long Island, New York rapper, singer/songwriter & model Lil Peep. Blowing up in late 2016 with the release of his 4th mixtape Hellboy & then following it with his debut album Come Over When You’re Sober last summer, I can see why it connected with a couple of my friends even though I found both of them to be underwhelming. Unfortunately though, Lil Peep passed away just 2 weeks after his 21st birthday of an accidental fentanyl–xanax overdose right before a show in Tucson, Arizona. The rights of his unreleased music were then given to Columbia Records, who dropped a sequel to the full-length debut showing some improvements compared to his early work. But with Harry Fraud announcing High Fashion earlier this week, he & Columbia have managed to put it out there for the public.
“Choose” is a great opener to the EP accompanied by a pillowy instrumental & Peep calling out a woman who’s lying about being in love with him while the penultimate track “Old Me” follows it up with an acoustic cut chillingly looks back on the person that he used to be prior to his untimely death. Finally, the closer “Living Rooms” sends off the EP with a slow guitar ballad venting about the drug addiction that costed him his life.
I was immediately drawn in when I saw Harry Fraud was involved & at the end of the day, I think High Fashion is amongst some of the best material of Peep’s career. Much like Tierra Whack’s new EP RAP?, I feel like it could’ve used at least a couple more songs but I’m not totally sure if I can blame that on anyone because who knows if they have any more material together? Nonetheless, both parties compliment reach other well.
Cozz is a 27 year old rapper from Los Angeles, California who caught the attention of J. Cole in 2013 with the single “Dreams” & eventually signed to the North Carolina veteran’s Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records. His full-length debut Cozz & Effect would come out the next year, which was followed up with the debut mixtape Nothin’ Personal as well as the sophomore album Effected & the 2nd mixtape Aftermath of My Dreams. But after dropping a couple singles throughout these last couple months, Cozz is finishing off Dreamville’s year with his debut EP.
The title track is a cool guitar/trap ballad about being blessed that he’s still alive whereas the gospel vibes of “Higher Power” fits really well given the subject matter of belonging to God. “Juice Bars” has one of the weaker instrumentals on the EP trying to rip off D4L’s “Laffy Taffy” even though the boastful lyricism is ok, but then “So Am I” has a more nocturnal sound talking about he & his boys being witit.
I really dig the boom bap production on the song “Addicted” even though I don’t care for the thirsty lyricism while the penultimate track “Control Problems” with YG weaves in an uneventful trap beat despite the lyrics about letting God handling their issues. That being said: I think “Cry” is a powerful closer looking back on his parents domestically abusing each other & the cops coming to their house.
Now this is far from being one of the best EPs I’ve heard all year or anything like that, but a good majority of Fortunate is pretty solid. Cozz is really starting to elevate on the mic & the production game is starting to improve as well. Very curious to hear where he’ll go with his next album.
This is the 2nd EP from Ohio duo the Super Famous Fun Time Guys. 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 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 they’re coming fresh off a small handful of singles to celebrate Black Friday with Mom’s Not Offended, She’s Concerned.
After the “Not Another Intro” intro, the first song “Stuck” featuring Dent 1 is a boom bap/g-funk fusion paying tribute to their fans whereas “Crash & Burn” works in a piano talking about going down in flames with smiles on their faces referencing former 5-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, ECW World Tag Team Champion, XPW King of the Deatmatch Champion & アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン The Sandman alongside WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE world champion, ECW World Television Champion, 6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 4-time & the final WWE Hardcore Champion, TNA World Champion & TNA X Division Champion Rob Van Dam. “Finder’s Keepers” takes a more mellow route telling the story of discovering a body on the side of the road, but then “Play Your Role” has some trap undertones getting on their wicked shit.
The song “Another Round” featuring Billy Obey returns into boom bap territory talking about going through the motions again & not knowing how to snap out of it while the penultimate track “Wittalittlebitta” is a bit oxymoronic with it’s summery production & speaking about painting the town red with dark clouds hanging above them. “Like Damn” then finishes the EP by melodically talking about locking their victims in the basement.
“Heart Shaped Bed” featuring Alla Xul Elu produced by Billy Obey putting a horrorcore spin on Valentine’s Day while “Strangers on the Track” featuring Madd Maxxx finds the trio talking about having hatred in their lungs. “Got Worms?” featuring M.M.M.F.D. displays the back-&-forth chemistries of both duos addressing those who thought they were safe while “As I Say” showcases their storytelling abilities portraying themselves as night stalkers.
Young Wicked joins Legz & Whipstick on “Now That’s What I Call Murder” including a reference to 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 while “Your Wife’s a Hoe” featuring Donnie Menace sets out to fuck up your day. The final bonus track “Lord of the Flies” featuring Lee Carver rounds it out throwing their horns up high ushering a new wave.
Not only does this EP remind me that these guys are quickly becoming one of my favorite duos in the underground right now, but it also goes to show that Long Live Evil is continuing to rebuild itself as what Psychopathic Records once was in their prime almost 2 decades ago. Legz & Whip continue to make themselves stick out with their own with the production choices continuing to level up.
Lex the Hex Master is a 37 year old MC from Queens, New York who broke out in 2015 with his independent debut album Born in Hell. The demented Detroit hip hop duo Twiztid would sign him to their label Majik Ninja Entertainment shortly after & he has put out a plethora of releases since including The Black Season, Contact, the Mr. Ugly duology, Beyond Redemption, Shadow King, Strictly 4 My N.I.N.J.A.S., Party Castle & Haunted Mansion. But after laying low for a good portion of the year so far, Lex is returning with his 4th EP.
After the intro, the first song “Dream State of Mine” kicks off the EP with an acoustic trap banger talking about making them bow down whereas the C.G.-produced “Get Sippy” with Gibby Stites & Skullz has a bit of a more West Coast feel instrumentally talking about turning up. “Thriller” mixes together some dusty drums & synthesizers saying he can’t disappear until they know his name just before “Real One” almost has a bit of a Latin trap influence to Poetic Beats’ production letting listeners know who you’re rocking with.
The song “Closed Minds” with Jamie Madrox finds the 2 going into boom bap territory firing back at those who’re quick to dismiss their talents while the penultimate track “Main Squeeze” takes a more futuristic route in terms of sound talking to his potential ride or die bitch. “Highway to Heartbreak” then closes out the EP with a passionate piano ballad talking coming a long way & still being here today.
We’ve waited a little over a year for this 3rd installment in a 4-part series of EPs & I’d say it’s a solid comeback for Lex. The production in comparison to his past material is probably the most diverse it’s ever been, his lyricism is as cutthroat as always & there’s no denying that he took his time with this one. Very excited to hear how the series will end hopefully next year.
This is the 13th EP from Detroit duo & Astronomicon founders Twiztid. Consisting of Jamie Madrox & Monoxide, the pair originally started out as part of the House of Krazees alongside childhood friend The R.O.C. in 1992 before their initial disbandment 5 years later. Almost immediately after, the Insane Clown Posse took Jamie & Mono under their wings by signing them to Psychopathic Records as the demented duo they’re known as today. They would become the label’s 2nd biggest act being their mentors off projects like Mostasteless, Freek Show, Mirror Mirror, The Green Book, W.I.C.K.E.D. (Wish I Could Kill Every Day) & Abominationz. Shortly after the latter was released, Twiztid left Psychopathic to form Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2014. Since then they’ve released 6 albums, with my favorites being The Darkness at the top of 2015 & then /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/ which just celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary recently. But after going into rock territory on Unlikely Prescription at the beginning of the fall, Twiztid gave fans a little treat to those who placed an order of $75 or more this Black Friday.
“The Hell That We Been Through” is an impressive opener from Triple Threat produced by Stir Crazy energetically encouraging their Day 1’s to stick together with them while the song “Sugar” goes into a bleaker direction talking about how they’re not fine mentally which they always do well with at subjects like that. The penultimate track “Real Clique” is a ghoulish trap banger taking shots at their opposition which is dope if you’re into battle raps & “On the Grind” finishes the EP off with Triple Threat reuniting on top of a misty Fritz the Cat instrumental flexing their hustle.
Although the mixed reception of Unlikely Prescription was a given & even I myself was 50/50 on it (that’s coming from a place of love too), I came away from this untitled EP enjoying it as much as I did Electric Lettuce back in the spring. They pick up where /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/ left off in the sense that they demonstrate how talented they are as MCs & returning to a more hardcore hip hop sound, proving that they haven’t forgotten about their core fanbase.
This is the latest extended play from Charlotte, North Carolina emcee Killakwabo. For the past 2 years now, the man has been solidifying himself in the underground whether it be for the more chilled out sound that he shoots for or projects like Slept on by the City or more recently Millionaire Mentality. But now, he’s seen fit to drop a sequel to Slept on by the City produced entirely by Obscure Planet.
The intro is a cloudy opener about smoking weed to get away from the pain whereas “Up Next” keeps the atmospheric vibes going declaring himself as such. Sir Loc tags along for the dreary “All Day” showing their love for Mary Jane yet again just before “Weekend” takes a more joyous route talking about a woman who wants to chill with him on the weekends.
“Stomp” with Rashaddre finds the 2 over some cavernous production getting in their fighting bags while the penultimate track “The Man” reunites with Sir Loc over a tropical trap beat bragging about being them motherfuckers. “Out of My Face” closes out the EP by advising those who ain’t about the money to leave him alone over a glossy instrumental.
Now admittedly, I wasn’t familiar with this guy until his recent interview with the homie Cthree a few weeks back. That being said though, Slept on by the City 2 is an enjoyable sequel to the predecessor. Obscure Planet whips up some incredibly hazy production to spark a joint to & Killakwabo’s flow on top of it fits like a glove.
La Lo East is a 41 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who came up last Black Friday off the full-length debut Fuck the Middle Man. This was followed-up by the debut EP Buffalo over the spring right before Thanksgiving last month, East decided to prelude his sophomore album by dropping a 2nd EP.
After the titular intro, the first song “Life Like This” sets off the whole EP with a soul sample saying he’s bout that paper whereas “Can’t Fuck wit Me” works in some strings challenging anyone who wants smoke with him. “Advances” takes a moodier turn thanking the man above for such & after the interlude, Drama2BR tags along for the downcast “Change” to call out those switching up on them. The final song “Glorious” has some jazzy undertones to the beat as he ends the album by talking about staying getting to the money leading into an 11-second outro.
From front to back, this is a pretty impressive EP. The lyrical topics throughout it’s 22 minute run range from personal shit to braggadocio & each song in terms of sound pretty much differs. Whenever his sophomore album comes out, I can definitely see him continuing to level up.
