City Morgue – “Toxic Boogaloo” review

This is the 2nd EP from New York trio City Morgue. I became a fan of theirs in 2018 because of how ZillaKami, SosMula & Thraxx uniquely fused trap with metal on their debut Hell or High Water. A sophomore effort As Good as Dead came out just this past winter & even through Thraxx hardly did the production on there, Kami & Sos were able to get the criminally underrated Mike Dean to fill in that gap. But with their tour being one of the many to get cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re making it up to the fans with Toxic Boogaloo.

Things start off with “THE ELECTRIC EXPERIENCE”, where the duo compare themselves to Deadshot over a bombastic beat from Powers Pleasant. The next song “HURTWORLD ‘99” talks about wanting to fuck up anyone who comes at them over a trap metal instrumental while the track “YELLOW PISS” finds ZillaKami going solo to talk about death being longer than life over a chaotic beat from Thraxx. The song “BUAKAW” talks about their haters being pussy over some hi-hats & heavy guitars while the track “YAKUZA” is an unfinished SosMula solo joint backed by a beat that sounds something out of a horror movie.

The song “CRANK” sees the duo getting back together to talk about getting into altercations carrying MACs on them & not the Mac line of Apple Inc. computers over an eerie beat while the track “YOU CAN SUCK MY DICK” is another ZillaKami solo cut about him bringing the smoke to anyone who wants it over bass-heavy instrumental. The song “ALL KILLER NO FILLER” talks about destroying shit over another trap metal beat whereas “SUPER SOAKA” is of course another SosMula solo song that’s even more half-baked than the previous one. The album finishes with “PROSTHETIC LEGS”, where the duo talk about being wardogs over an abrasive beat.

Coming from someone who enjoyed City Morgue’s last 2 albums a lot, this project is a disappointment. I think their whole style is still unique, but it just sounds like ZillaKami & SosMula rushed the shit outta it. Hopefully they take their time on the next album.

Score: 2.5/5

Lupe Fiasco – “House” review

This is the 2nd EP by Chicago, Illinois veteran Lupe Fiasco. Breaking out in the mid-2000s with Food & Liquor and The Cool, but the man started to become inconsistent once the 2010s came around. Lasers is easily the worst thing he ever put out and Food Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album was mediocre, but Tetsuo & Youth was such an incredible return to form. Then came DROGAS Light in 2017, which was a SLIGHTLY better Lasers. However, it’s sequel DROGAS Wave is a lot better despite being a tad bit too long. Lupe hasn’t put out much since but to surprise everyone, he’s teaming up with a 23-year old producer named Kaelin Ellis for HOUSE.

After the Virgil Abloh spoken word intro “HOMME MADE”, we get into the first song “DINOSAURS”. Where Lupe of course details the prehistoric age over a dreamy-boom bap beat. The next track “SLEDOM” talks about career decisions over a mellow instrumental while the song “SHOES” touches down on police brutality over a boom bap beat with some horns. The EP ends with “LF95”, which is essentially Lupe spitting off top over a jazzy instrumental for 5 minutes.

This is a solid prelude to Skulls when or if it comes out at this point. Couple joints drag out longer than they needed to, but Lupe sounds focused for the most part & Kaelin Ellis could definitely get bigger from here because I really dig his sound on here quite a bit.

Score: 3.5/5

Coops – “Crimes Against Creation” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Coops ending his High Focus Records tenure with an extended play full of material. Introducing himself during my adolescence off his full-length debut What Do You See? as well as Lost Soul, & God Complex, his High Focus debut No Brainer would be welcomed to mixed reception & Life in the Flesh was later received more positively a few months later. To begin the 2nd half of what has already been a disastrous 2020, he looks to outdo both in the form of Crimes Against Creation.

“Boom Biddy Bye” breaks the gate down with this old school boom bap instrumental from Talos dismantling all lyrical opponents in his path whereas “Factory Reared” jazzily talks about being fed up with all these rappers to the point of wanting to kill them. “Bring the Fire” works in a vibraphone with some kicks & snares talking about blazing the spot up just before “Piss Poor” eerily tackles the fear he has of becoming broke from a financial point of view.

Starting the 2nd half, “Laws of Nature” blends jazz rap & boom bap once more talking about being seen as either a threat to humanity or a savior just before the title track turns up the jazzier elements telling his story the way it happened refusing any other negotiations. “Profile” takes the lo-fi boom bap route stylistically recalling the time a woman gave him a number of her’s to dial & “End Times” jazzily finishes by talking about living in the middle of the apocalypse beginning.

In the midst of COVID-19 shutting the whole entire world down for 4 months & counting, Crimes Against Creationcomes across significantly darker than what Coops has done previously providing the soundtrack for these times of uncertainty we’re experiencing all across the globe. Taking inspiration from the greats instead of what’s current, the jazzy boom bap production feels nostalgically reminiscent of 90s east coast hip hop such as Mobb Deep facing issues like the current state of hip hop & politics directly.

Score: 3.5/5

Nick Grant – “God Bless the Child” review

This is the brand new EP from Atlanta, Georgia’s very own Nick Grant, who came onto my radar with a pretty solid debut album Return of the Cool at the beginning of 2017. It’s been a couple years since we last heard from him but with everything going on right now, he’s teaming up with Top Dawg Entertainment in-house producer Tae Beast for God Bless the Child.

Things kick off with “L.O.V.E. (Living Out Various Emotions)”, where Nick comes through with some thoughtful bars over a soulful instrumental. The next song “FEDS” talks about sending his competition to the morgue over a somewhat funky beat while the track “Bless the Child” is a well written response to George Floyd’s murder over a calming instrumental. The song “K9” talks about some dude runnin’ his mouth over a slow beat & then the closer “Black Windows” talks about haters over an instrumental that starts off tropical, but transitions into something more hard hitting about halfway through.

As much as I enjoyed Return of the Cool, this really might be Nick’s best work to date. From the dude’s ever-so-conscious lyricism to Tae Beast’s impeccably tight production, everything about this EP just comes together very well & it has me looking forward to seeing what’ll happen next on his sophomore album.

Score: 4.5/5

Skyzoo – “Milestones” review

This is the 6th EP from New York veteran Skyzoo. Rising to prominence with the 9th Wonder produced Cloud 9: The 3 Day High, the man continued to make a name for himself with a lengthy yet very consistent discography. This includes his full-length debut The Salvation, the !llmind produced Live from the Tape Deck, A Dream Deferred, Music for My Friends, the Apollo Brown produced The Easy Truth & In Celebration of Us. But I really think it wasn’t until last September where he really outdid himself & dropped his magnum opus Retropolitan, which was entirely produced by the revered Pete Rock. However with Father’s Day coming around the corner, Skyzoo is celebrating with Milestones.

The opener “Memory Serves Me” fondly looks back on the early years of his childhood over a jazzy boom bap beat & keep in mind: This is a sound that’s prominently featured all over the entire EP. Following that is the next song “At Least I Got One”, where Skyzoo speaks on being grateful for having a father figure in his life in such a profoundly fashion.

The track “Turning 10” then talks about his relationship with his father adjusting as he got older & this subject matter is continued on in the song right after “Duffel Bag Weekends” as he looks back on what it was like for him having to visit both his parent’s individual houses as an adolescent.

Then the track “Eyes Wide Shut” continues to speak from the heart as Skyzoo discusses how his father has ”been up” since the Christmas Eve he was born & that he himself has “been up” since late 2017. The song right after is a touching dedication to all fathers worldwide & then “Duly Noted” is a great way to finish things off as we delivers a long verse full of wisdom on top of a blissful piano lead.

Skyzoo has always had an impeccably consistent discography & this is no exception at all. I really love the way he incorporates the jazz elements into the production & it’s refreshing to hear an MC talk about fatherhood in a more positive fashion.

Score: 4/5

Lex the Hex Master – “Party Castle” review

Lex the Hex Master is an 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 him to their label Majik Ninja Entertainment shortly after & he has put out a plethora of releases since. This includes The Black Season, Contact, the Mr. Ugly duology, Beyond Redemption & Shadow King. However despite showcasing a bunch of lesser-known MCs on the Strictly 4 My N.I.N.J.A.S. mixtape this past fall, Lex pretty much payed on the down-low for most of last year. But to kick off a new era, he’s delivering the 1st installment in a series of 4 EPs.

After the intro, the first song “Last Night” talks about being under the influence over a woozy beat & then “The Count” gets on the shit-talking tip over a forlorn trap beat. The song “Hypnotized” vents about wanting his name to be remembered over a grimy instrumental from Poetics while the track “Back Up” talks about. The penultimate song “Chill Mode” gets on the more cool side of things down to the Godsynth instrumental & then the closer “Sleep at Night” is a remix of “Stay Woke” by HB the Grizzly that I actually like more than the original.

If anyone’s looking for some East Coast hip hop that’s lyrical & something you can vibe out to, I highly recommend checking this out & am looking forward to hearing how the other 3 installments of the Party Castle series turn out. The beats are a lot more trap-flavored than his previous efforts & Lex manages to remind fans why he’s one of the most menacing MCs that MNE has to offer.

Score: 4/5

Mi$tuh G – “G.W.O. (G World Order) review

Mi$tuh G is an up-&-coming MC/producer from Sacramento, California who just happened to drop his full-length debut G Files at the very beginning of 2020. But as we approach the halfway point of year, he’s continuing the grind with an 8-track EP.

After the titular intro, we go into the first song “Apokalypse”. Where G shows off his chopping skills touching down on 2020 in a nutshell over a gloomy instrumental. The next track “I Heard” finds him comparing & contrasting himself to anyone who opposes him over a trap beat with some plucky strings while the song “Kreep” with Twisted Insane sees the 2 getting on the horrorcore tip over a foreboding instrumental.

The track “G World Order” speaks on social distancing & quarantining during the COVID pandemic over a beat with some ominous keyboards while the song “Riot” with Lil Sicx sees the 2 talking about the riots that took place as a result of George Floyd’s murder over an unsettling instrumental. The penultimate track “Trap Drill” talks about finding a way to make money over an eerie beat & then the EP finishes off with “Disconnect the Doubt”, where G teams up with Mak7teen & Andre Elix to get on the conscious over a more atmospheric instrumental.

I highly recommend checking this EP out if you want to get into the dude because it’s a short yet solid body of work. The features are just ok, but I think Mi$tuh G does a really good job at tackling all the events that’ve been going on throughout the year & I can only see him going up in the future.

Score: 3.5/5

Flatbush ZOMBiES – “now, more than ɘver…” review

The Flatbush ZOMBiES are a Brooklyn trio consisting of Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice & Erick the Architect. Coming up as part of of the Beast Coast collective, the group broke out in the early 2010s off the strength of their 2 mixtapes D.R.U.G.S. & BetterOffDead. Shortly after they formed the quintet Clockwork Indigo with fellow Beast Coast members The Underachievers & put out an eponymous EP, but it wouldn’t be until 2016 when they put out their fantastic full-length debut 3001: A Laced Odyssey. Last we heard from then was in 2018 with their sophomore album Vacation in Hell but fast forward a couple years later, they’re back with their debut EP.

Things kick off with “herb”, where the trio of course talk about weed over a psychedelic instrumental from Erick as always. The next song “iamlegend” is about how they’ve hustled all their lives over a cloudy trap beat while the track “quicksand” is a Meechy solo cut about his demons over a manic instrumental.

The song “dirty elevator music” talks about how they have the world in their hands now over a boom bap beat while the penultimate track “blessings” talks about how life’s too short over a sedative instrumental. The EP finishes off with “when i’m gone”, where the trio talk about death & Meechy pays tribute to Mac Miller over a mournful beat.

Overall, it’s a solid EP for the most part. It‘s focused, Erick’s production continues to evolve over the course of time & the lyrical topics that’re being brought to the table are amongst the group’s most introspective ones to date.

Score: 3.5/5

H.A.R.D. – Self-Titled review

This is the brand new collaborative EP from Brooklyn & Long Beach veterans Joell Ortiz & KXNG CROOKED. Both of whom have had notorious label issues at the start of their careers, but would go on to see success as members of the supergroup Slaughterhouse along with Royce da 5’9” & Joe Budden from the late 2000s up until the mid-2010s. The quartet had quietly disbanded in 2016 after Joe’s retirement from making music, but it wasn’t confirmed until 2 years later. However after the 3 remaining members got back together on “I Will” off of Eminem’s latest album MUSIC TO BE MURDERƎD BY, Yaowa & Crook are teaming up on H.A.R.D. (Housing Authority Rap District).

The title track finds the duo talk about being humble for too long over a Heatmakerz instrumental with some beautiful background vocals whereas the next song “Get Ya Money” talks about how there’s 6,000,000 ways to make bread over a boom bap beat from Erick Sermon. The track “Caddy Bump (LBC)” is a Crook solo joint about growing up in the eastside with a ghostly instrumental from !llmind while the song “Catchin’ Bodies” sees the 2 getting back together for some vicious battle bars over a grand instrumental from Apollo Brown.

The track “Lose My Mind” talks about growing up where they come from over a lone acoustic instrumental while the song “Wolves (BRKLYN)” is a solo Joell joint where he totally airs someone out over bloodcurdling beat from the J.U.ST.I.C.E. League. The penultimate track “Lovely” talks about waking up to the same thing over a shadowy beat & then the EP finishes with “Memorial Day”, where Crook & Yaowa pay tribute to those who’ve passed away this year.

If this is the closest we’ll ever get to a new Slaughterhouse project then coming from someone who used to be a huge fan of the supergroup back in the day, then I’d be totally ok with it. The production is grimy as Hell & the chemistry between both MCs is fantastic as well.

Score: 4/5

Axe Murder Boyz – “Fatality” review

The Axe Murder Boyz are a duo from Denver, Colorado consisting of brothers Young Wicked & Bonez Dubb. The 2 have been making music together since the late 90s, but didn’t make their breakthrough until the mid-2000s when the Insane Clown Posse signed them to Psychopathic Records. They went on to release 3 albums & an EP with them before signing to Twiztid‘s label Majik Ninja Entertainment on New Year’s Eve 2016. Last we heard from the siblings was in 2018 with their 8th album Muerte & as we get close to the halfway point of this year, they’re back with their 6th EP following their Astronomicon debut.

After the intro, we get right into the title track. Where Young Wicked & Bonez Dubb talk about killing their competition over a bassy trap beat from Young Wicked himself. The song “Cantfxckwittus” with Jamie Madrox sees the 3 talking about how MNE’s running the underground over a morbid instrumental while the track “Nothin’ 4 Free” talks about how nothing in hip hop is ever granted to you over a flute-inflicted trap beat.

The song “Murda Shit” gets on the horrorcore tip over over a trap beat with some creepy bells while the penultimate track “Runnitup” is a celebratory banger about their hustle. The EP finishes off with “We Up”, where the siblings talk about their success over a punchy beat with haunting piano loop.

AMB’s been one of my favorites out of Colorado for a while now & this EP just goes to show it. Young Wicked’s production continues to elevate over time as does the chemistry with his brother Bonez Dubb. If they have a new album together in the chamber & this is just a taste of what’s to come, then I’m really looking forward to see what they do on there.

Score: 4/5