Babyface Ray – “Unfuckwitable” review

Babyface Ray is a 30 year old rapper from Detroit, Michigan who came up in 2015 as a member of the Team Eastside collective. Since then he’s released 5 mixtapes, a collaborative effort with fellow Team Eastside colleague Peezy & 4 EPs. But with his birthday being the previous weekend & his profile ever-growing, Ray is celebrating by dropping a follow-up to For You in the form of a 5th EP ahead of a full-length debut.

The EP starts with “Real N****s Don’t Rap”, where Ray talks about his authenticity over a woozy trap beat. The next song “If You Know You Know” with Moneybagg Yo finds the duo talking about never trippin’ over a hyphy instrumental while the track “Tahoe” talks about live being good over an capacious FNZ beat. The song “Like Daisy Lane” gets braggadocious over a vigorous instrumental while the track “Allowance” with Kash Doll sees the 2 talking about bad bitches over a trap beat from Hit-Boy with some ghoulish bells. The penultimate track “Pink 10s” with EST G finds the duo on their gangsta shit over an instrumental with some prominent woodwinds & synths whereas the closer “Change You” talks about going up too fast over a tearjerking beat.

I’ve been paying attention to Babyface Ray for past few years now & this new EP is another reminder of his evolution. The production sounds more crisp in comparison to his previous efforts & his songwriting has gotten catchier. Can’t wait to hear what he has in store on an upcoming full-length.

Score: 3.5/5

Phora – “Heartbreak Hotel” review

Phora is a 26 year old rapper from Anaheim, California who broke out in 2017 off his debut album Yours Truly Forever. He just dropped his 6th mixtape With Love 2 back in November & now with Valentine’s Day coming up this weekend, he’s following it up by dropping his 2nd EP.

The EP starts with “colorblind”, where Phora talks about never leaving this woman’s side over a summery beat. The next song “Loaded Gun” talks about being lonely inside over a bare acoustic guitar while the track “I’m scared of falling in love” talks about living without a heart over a lethargic beat. The song “damaged inside” talks about how his life is better with his girl by his side over an acoustic-tinged boom bap instrumental while the track “room 427” talks about someone who only remembers the bad times with him over an acoustic guitar & some snares. “the art of letting go” talks about how he hopes his ex still smells him on her pillows over an derelict beat & then the closer “where do we go when there’s nothing left?” serves as a tribute to those who’re no longer with us & the vocal sample is actually really cool.

I can imagine some people getting down to this EP given how “sad” it is, but I did care for it at all unfortunately. The production is ok, but Phora doesn’t really do the emo rap subgenre any justice whatsoever as his lyrics come off too melodramatic & corny for a good portion of the time.

Score: 1.5/5

Insane Clown Posse – “ICP’s House Party Peep Show” review

This is brand new EP from Detroit horrorcore duo, Juggalo Championship Wrestling founders & the longest reigning JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions the Insane Clown Posse. Consisting of Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope, a lot of cats don’t know that 3 other members came & went during the first 5 years of the group’s inception. Not only would The Duke of the Wicked & the Southside Strangla go on to create seminal wicked shit albums like The First 6, but they gained an extremely loyal fanbase in the process & their self-owned Psychopathic Records became an independent hip hop powerhouse as the label’s roster continued to grow. They did a series of Paetron streams to commemorate what would’ve been the 27th annual Hallowicked show & to give back to everyone subscribed, the wicked clowns gifted them an exclusive 6-track EP.

The EP kicks off with “The Blob”, where Violent J tells the story of a killer blob from another galaxy over a dire beat from Devereaux. The next song “My Forehead” is literally J & Shaggy talking about how big Violent J’s forehead is over an old school instrumental from none other than Mike E. Clark while the track “Cartoon Goon” finds the duo going back & forth about an illustration that will seal your fate over a vilainous beat from Shaggytheairhead.

The song “Mighty Mote” sounds like a leftover from the Fearless Fred Fury sessions as J talks about a kid getting revenge on everyone from his step-dad to his school busdriver to the electronic/trap fused production while the penultimate track “The Ceremony” is a beautiful dedication to Shaggy, Billy Bill & Jumpsteady backed by an uplifting trap beat. The EP closes out with “Live Dead Forever”, which is easily the most wicked joint on the entire thing referencing the late Luke Perry only a month after his son Jack became the current AEW World Tag Team Champion.

For the 4 month wait, it was well worth it in my opinion. Violent J is still one of the greatest storytellers in hip hop history, Shaggy 2 Dope even though he only has very few verses on here is just as skilled & I do like how the production range from the touching “Medals” & the vintage “My Forehead” to the trap-flavored “Mighty Mote”. Safe to say it’s giving me hope for Yum Yum’s Lure next Wednesday as well as Yum Yum Bedlam later on in the year.

Score: 3.5/5

Smokepurpp – “Psycho (Legally Insane)” review

Smokepurpp is a 23 year old rapper from Miami, Florida who broke out in 2017 alongside his childhood friend Lil Pump. Shortly after the release of his debut EP Up Now Fuck Next, he caught the attention of Houston superstar Travis Scott & dropped his critically acclaimed debut mixtape Deadstar under Cactus Jack Records in a joint venture with the Interscope Records sub-label Alamo Records. This was followed up with a 3-Pack EP a couple months later as well as the Murda Beatz-produced Bless Yo Trap tape in 2018 & the Lost Planet EP in 2019, but then Purpp would leave Cactus Jack that same year to release the full-length debut Deadstar 2. Which was below average in comparison to that debut mixtape. His sophomore album Florida Jit from last summer turned out to be mediocre, as the only saving graces of it were Ronny J’s production & a couple of the features. But to move on from a tumultuous 2020 like almost all of us are doing at this point, Purpp is coming out of the woodwork by dropping his 3rd EP.

Things start off with “Prom Queen”, where Purpp talks about being trigger happy over a trap beat sampling “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” by Wendy Rene. The next song “We Outside” with Lil Mosey finds the duo talking about poppin’ out until the sun comes up over an instrumental that has a bit of a country flare to it while the track “200 Thou” produced by Ginseng talks about walkin’ through the mall with a bunch of cash on him over a comatose beat.

The song “Rockstar” talks about his new lifestyle over an instrumental that sounds like it was copied right out of the Pi’erre Bourne playbook while the penultimate track “What You Wanna Do?” gets on the murder tip over a fittingly grisly beat. The EP ends with “Tic Tac”, where Smokepurpp talks about fucking up the trap over a trap metal instrumental.

Coming from someone who enjoyed Deadstar & Bless Yo Trap quite a bit, I really didn’t care for this EP other than a couple joints. The production choices are very questionable for a good majority of it’s 13-minute runtime & lyrically, Smokepurpp is just painting himself into a corner at this point.

Score: 1.5/5

ReadyRockDee – “Flow God 4” review

This is the 4th EP from Bridgeport, Connecticut emcee ReadyRockDee. Coming up as a founding member of the group Rowdy City, he would branch solo last year by releasing 3 solo EPs & a collab album with a New York spitter by the name of Teezy Money. But to kick off his 2021, he’s cooked up a 4th installment of his Flow God series.

The opener “Block Pride” talks about having respect being put on his name over a boom bap beat with some Godzilla-like horns whereas the next song “Boom Shakalaka” with RJ Payne finds the 2 talking about leveling up their pen-game over a trap instrumental with some solemn bells.

The track “Best Dope on the Street” with Rick Hyde sees the 2 comparing to their music to drugs over a ghoulish beat while the song “Project Baby” with Sy da Ari Kid finds the 2 of course detailing what it was like being raised in the gutter over an instrumental kin to The Heatmakerz.

The penultimate track “Higher” with Mickey Factz sees the 2 getting on the motivational end over a heavenly beat & then the closer “Real as it Gets” talks about being true to yourself over an ataractic instrumental.

In comparison to the previous 3 installments of the Flow God series, I think this new one is the best of them all. ReadyRockDee’s lyricism has improved (not to say it wasn’t dope before), the features are on point for the most part & the production is some of the best he’s ever jumped on top of.

Score: 3.5/5

Rich the Kid – “Lucky 7” review

This is the debut EP from College Park, Georgia rapper Rich the Kid. Coming to my attention in 2018 off the viral single “New Freezer”, his popularity would eventually peak with his first 2 full-length albums The World is Yours & The World is Yours 2. He would leave Interscope Records shortly after & team up with Republic Records for his previous album Boss Man but since he’s completely independent as of this year, Rich the Kid is celebrating by dropping Lucky 7.

The EP kicks off with “Split”, where Rich gets materialistic over a bland instrumental. The next song “Laughin’” with DaBaby sees the 2 talks about getting hoes over a Medieval-sounding beat while the track “Money Machine” talks about not going broke again over a generic beat. The song “Boom Boom” with Lil Mosey finds the 2 talking about having shooters over an intoxicating instrumental with some heavy bass while the track “Right” rambles about nothing sex over an ethereal instrumental from DJ Spinz. The penultimate song “Nasty” with Flo Milli, Latto & Rubi Rose sees the 4 getting raunchy over a vibrant Buddah Bless beat then the closer “Too Blessed” with Unc & Phew finds the trio talking about their gratefulness over an woodwind-infused instrumental from DJ Durel.

I wasn’t expecting much from this new EP & unsuprisingly, I didn’t get a whole lot out of it at all. It’s overloaded with features, Rich the Kid’s lyrics are shallow as Hell & the production ranges from being mediocre to forgettable.

Score: 2/5

Vino La Mano – “Circle of Trust” review

Vino La Mano is a 33 year old MC from Corpus Christi, Texas who broke out a couple years ago after Benny the Butcher signed him to his E1 Music imprint Black Soprano Family Records. He’s released a total of 8 EPs since but to continue his hustle into 2021, Vino is staying on the grind by dropping a 9th EP.

The opener “Bill Lambert” has some dope mafioso lyrics throughout, but the production is just ok to me. The next song “Pair of Aces” talks about playing the hands he’s delt with over a grimy boom bap beat while the track “Mo Money” talks about the bread over a flute-tinged instrumental. The song “I’m Numb” gets on the introspective side of things over a boom bap beat with a psychedelic rock-flavored guitar throughout about while the penultimate track “Stretch the Cake” talks about being a different breed over an instrumental kin to Griselda‘s W.W.C.D. (What Would Chinegun Do?). The EP finishes off with “Gangsters Don’t Smile”, where Vino talks about how thugs don’t show happinness unless proven not guilty over a somber beat.

Overall, it’s a pretty solid EP. Some of the best bars Vino La Mano has ever written pop up on here whereas The Soul Monsters’ production does a decent job of honning in on that signature Griselda sound. If you’re a diehard BSF fan, then I recommend you give this EP a listen & I can’t wait to hear what he does on a full-length album down the road.

Score: 3.5/5

Dolenz – “Electric Fence” review

This is the 3rd EP from London, England, United Kingdom producer Dolenz. Introducing himself in off his debut EP Evesdrop during the fall of 2017, he would go on to follow it up with a moderately received debut album Lingua Franca exploring halftime as well as IDM & glitch hop. His last EP Golden Spike came out almost 7 months ago when the entire world was under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, signing to Potent Funk Records & making his debut for the label with Electric Fence.

“Jody Banks” after the intro begins with this ominous boom bap instrumental whereas “Wankers” embraces an experimental vibe heavily building itself around synthesizers for a little over 3 minutes. “Blak Helicopter” by Dabbla talks about feeing like a battle rapper without having anyone to battle while “Howzer” returns to a more compositional approach continuing the experimentations. After a skit, the titular beat goes for a psychedelic 1 last time & the closer performed by Black Josh talks about how “Nasty” he’s been.

This & Golden Spike both remind me of Pitch 92’s debut EP Lost in Space in terms of all 3 projects spending a bulk of the time capturing each producer’s talents behind the boards other than a couple moments where an MC takes the microphone to do what they do best although Electric Fence could be Dolenz’ most deeply personal collection of solo material thus far. Mixing 90s music & media with forward-thinking, electronic production, he flips his 90s schooldays into 4 compositions & 2 hip hop tracks that cohesively feels like a ripped collage of childhood nostalgia.

Score: 3.5/5

Flawless2k – “Blackout” review

Flawless2k is an MC from Atlanta, Georgia who has been making music ever since getting out of the U.S. Army in 2017. He’s dropped a handful of singles since then, but it’s all been leading right up to his debut EP over here. The EP kicks off with “Hundun”, where Flawless2k talks about running up them checks over an airy trap instrumental.

The next song “Mind Set” talks about living in the fast life over a nondescript beat whereas the track “Ole School” talks about his whip over a lavish beat. The song “Blackout” is an andreline pumping moshpit starter from the Three 6 Mafia inspired production to the feature from former No Limit Records signee Fiend while the track “Drip” talks about the shit he be rocking over a rubbery beat from CashMoneyAP.

“Sauce” with Yung Ralph sees the 2 talking about chasing paper over an atmospheric instrumental while the track “Vibe” with Hil-Figer talks about kicking it with their ladies over a more smoother beat. The song “Address the Issue” with Yung Tookie Baby finds the 2 talking about testing their tempers over a spooky instrumental & then the closer “Gas Up” with Duddy Ken & Pastor Troy sees the trio talking about Challengers & Box Chevy over a beat that gives off that classic dirty south vibe.

Coming away from this EP, my thoughts on it are mixed. I dig the sound, but there are a handful of features slapped onto it who punch under their weight. I understand it too Blackout is the only project under Flawless2k’s belt so far & the first one doesn’t always hit. He definitely has room to evolve his artistic craft down the road & I wish him nothing but the best.

Score: 2.5/5

Flee Lord – “In the Name of Prodigy” review

Flee Lord is a 37 year old emcee from Queens, New York who came up under the wing of the late Prodigy of Mobb Deep. However in 2020 alone, he would reveal himself as one of the most consistent dudes in the underground by dropping a new project every month for the whole year. And to finish it off, Flee is enlisting Havoc to produce his 14th EP.

After the intro, the first song “Torch Carriers” with Ransom finds the 2 talking about keeping this grimy East Coast shit alive over an organ-inflicted boom bap instrumental whereas the next track “Infamous Bop” with Big Twins sees the 2 talking about being the hottest in the hood over an uncanny beat. The song “Major Distribution” with Busta Rhymes finds the 2 talking about moving coke over an instrumental with an alluring vocal sample while the track “All for the GOAT” with Conway the Machine sees the 2 shit-talking over some glorious horns.

The song “1 A.M. Music” perfectly lives up to it’s title as Flee talks about what goes down after hours over a dismal beat while the track “Wu-Lords” with Raekwon finds the 2 on the gangsta tip over an instrumental. The song “Raise the Bar” with Santana Fox sees the 2 talking about how they changed the standards over some plinky keys while the penultimate track “Mac in the Engine” with Billy V & Eto finds the trio talking about being bosses over a solemn beat. The EP ends with “Bound to Take Losses”, where Havoc himself joins Flee Lord to talk about life being a gamble over a pessimistic beat.

This has unquestionably been Flee’s most prolific year yet & what a way for him to cap it all off. I could’ve done without a couple of the features, but everyone else kills it on the mid & Havoc’s production is still top-notch almost 26 years later. Curious to hear where he & DJ Muggs take it on Rammellzee in 2021.

Score: 4/5