Joey Paro – “Victory Gin” review

Here is the solo debut extended play from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Joey Paro. A member of the Split Prophets collective, he & Bil Next would team up on New Year’s Day 2014 for the collaborative EP Weedmasons, but hasn’t dropped a full project by himself up until this point. I did however enjoy his guest appearances on Eric the Red’s debut album Caught Red Handed & Res 1’s sophomore effort A Dog’s Dreams both entirely produced by Illinformed, the latter of whom has now been brought in to fully produce Victory Gin.

The title track jumps over a cinematic boom bap instrumental talking about catching him inside of the kitchen sipping on a type of distilled alcoholic beverage he’s been saving from a celebratory occasion whereas “The Fall” featuring Eric the Red & Smellington Piff finds the trio dropping hardcore verses without a hook over this orchestrally raw beat. “Mobin’” featuring Datkid & Res 1 sees all 3 of them talking about living fast until their vitals crash while “No Fill” featuring Upfront MC work in some keys to discuss growing up with white trash.

Bil Next & Flying Monk are the only 2 Split Prophets who have yet to go solo, but I’m happy one of the Weedmasons was able to share some Victory Gin with the fans who’ve been waiting for this day to come & bringing one of the UK hip hop scene’s greatest producers on board to provide a brief look at Joey Paro individually. Illinformed’s production is on par with Res 1’s sophomore effort A Dog’s Dreams & despite there being a guest appearance on almost every single, they’re all on his level of penmanship.

Score: 4/5

Blueface – “Dirt Bag” review

Blueface is a 22 year old rapper from Los Angeles, California who went viral last fall off of the music video for his single “Respect My Crippin’”. This resulted in a contract with Cash Money Records the following month but with him being fresh off the 2019 XXL Freshman Class a couple months ago, he’s continuing all this buzz with his debut EP.

It starts off with the title track, where Blueface talks about being back on his bullshit over a bassy instrumental. The next song “Bussdown” with Offset sees the 2 talking about going from being broke & being successful over a trap beat with some decent piano chords while the track “Disrespectful” talks about getting just that over a hyphy beat with some keys.

The song “Daddy” with Ruch the Kid talks about their lavish lives over an instrumental that’s somewhat similar to “Thotiana” while the track “Bussin’” with Lil Pump sees the 2 talking about you slipping & them sliding over a trap beat from Scott Storch with some faint keys. The next cut is a remix of “Stop Cappin’” with a killer feature from The Game while the penultimate track “Gang” with Mozzy sees the 2 repping their respective gangs over an atmospheric beat. The EP then finishes with “Bleed It”, where Blueface talks about his experiences in the Crips over an old school hyphy beat.

Walking away from this, it really wasn’t as bad as I would’ve expected. The features were mostly redundant, but Blueface really steps up his flows on here & the instrumentals have a great vibe to them as well.

Score: 3/5

Tha Hav Knots – “Tha Low Budget EP” review

Tha Hav Knots are a hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan consisting of Anybody Killa & Big Hoodoo. Since 2014, the two dropped a couple singles together & they even let Bonez Dubb of the Axe Murder Boyz temporarily join the group for a couple years before going AWOL at the start or 2017. But now with the 20th annual Gathering of the Juggalos officially wrapped up, they’re officially back with their debut EP.

The project kicks off with “Intro / Cruel Intentions”, where Hoodoo & Killa talk about ushering in a brand new era of wicked shit over a perfectly nocturnal beat. The next song “We Gonna Rock” of course brags about their skills over a vicious beat while the EP’s only single thus far “Watch the Evil” gets reckless over a somewhat druggy & ominous instrumental.

The track “Trigga Finga” not only gets murderous over an abrasive trap beat with a cool 2Pac sample for the hook, but Hoodoo’s flow at the beginning could very well be the best on the entire project. The penultimate track “Hard Headed” pretty much speaks for itself over an eerie beat & then the EP finishes with “Take Us Alive”, where Hoodoo & Killa get triumphant over a symphonic trap beat.

For the 5 year wait, it was well worth it & it definitely makes me hope they have a full-length debut album on the way. The production is grimy & Tha Hav Knots compliment each other very well, with Anybody Killa sounding a lot harder than he was on his latest comeback album Tampon Juice as well as Big Hoodoo continuing to step up both his pen game & his flows.

Score: 3.5/5

Black Milk – “DiVE” review

Black Milk is a 35 year old rapper, songwriter & producer from Detroit, Michigan that came up as a member of the B.R. Gunna production trio. He eventually went solo in 2005 with Sound of the City, which was followed up in 2007 with Popular Demand. The following year, he would dabble with electronic music on Tronic & would later start incorporating live instrumentation on Album of the Year in 2010. His next album No Poison No Paradise eventually became Black Milk’s darkest work yet & it would see a solid sequel If There’s a Hell Below the year after. We saw a comeback form him last year with the politically charged FEVER & a little over a year later, Black Milk’s delivering a sequel with his 4th EP.

It all starts with “Save Yourself”, where Black Milk talks about friendship over a mellow beat. The next song “Black NASA” talks about self-empowerment over an atmospheric beat while the track “If U Say” talks about staying true to yourself over a meditative beat. The song “Relate (Want 2 Know)” with sees Black Milk & his younger brother Mahd talking about depression over a somber instrumental while the track “Blame” gets romantic over a smooth instrumental.

The song “Swimm” is a meditative cut based around the idiom “sink or swim” while the track right after is an Flying Lotus influenced instrumental piece. The song “Don’t Say” talks about fake love over a druggy beat while the track “Out Loud” serves as a psychedelic instrumental interlude. The penultimate track “Tyme” talks about just that over a glitchy beat & then the EP finishes with the synth heavy “Now Begin” instrumental piece.

While only 35 minutes long, I think it’s a fantastic as FEVER. The lyrics are just as smart as the predecessor & the production is equally soothing.

Score: 4/5

Ill Bill – “Pulp Phixion” review

Ill Bill is a legendary MC from Brooklyn, New York who rose to prominence as a member of Non Phixion. He eventually made his solo debut in 2004 with What’s Wrong with Bill? & would follow it up in 2008 with The Hour of Reprisal. 2 years later, he teamed up with DJ Muggs to deliver Kill Devil Hills & came back in 2013 with his magnum opus The Grimy Awards. He then took a break from music until Septagram in 2016 & now just 4 months after the release of the Stu Bangas produced Cannibal Hulk, he’s returning with his 2nd EP with Sunday producing it in it’s entirety.

The EP starts off with “Warlord”, where Bill compares himself to just that over a grimy beat. The next song “Axe of Abarxas” with Goretex & Sick Jacken sees the 3 getting confrontational over a Godly boom bap beat. The penultimate track “Debbie Abono” is a vicious Heavy Metal Kings reunion while the closer “Shoot First, Die Later” with Goretex sees the 2 getting bloodthirsty over a decent rap metal instrumental.

All & all, this is a decent EP from the cult leader. The production is just ok & Bill’s lyricism remains raw but much like that Cannbial Hulk album, there’s an overabundance of features. Nothing against everyone who was featured on the project AT ALL, but I’d just love to hear new Ill Bill joints where it’s just Bill. Regardless, it’s still a good listen.

Score: 3/5

Benny the Butcher – “The Plugs I Met” review

Benny the Butcher is a 34 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who came up as the leader of the Black Soprano Family as well as a signee to Westside Gunn’s label Griselda Records. His first official release on the label was his Butcher on Steroids mixtape that dropped on his birthday in 2017, but it wouldn’t be until last November that he made his full-length debut on the label with Tana Talk 3. However, he’s coming back with his 4th EP inspired by a line on his last album.

After the intro skit, we dive into the first song “Crowns for Kings”. Where the Butcher teams up with Black Thought get motivational over an orchestral DJ Shay beat. The song “Sunday School” with Jadakiss & .38 Spesh get confrontational over a piano-inflicted boom bap beat from Daringer while the track “Dirty Harry” with Conway the Machine & RJ Payne is filled with battle bars including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer & inaugural ECW World Heavyweight Champion Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka over an eerie instrumental. The song “Took the Money to the Plug House” of course talks about hustling over a gloomy Alchemist beat while the penultimate track “18 Wheeler” with Pusha T gets mafioso over a godly boom bap beat & then the EP finishes off with “5 to 50”, where the Butcher reflects on his past over an atmospheric Alchemist beat.

The production’s just as raw & the Butcher’s street tales are a lot grimier. Yet another example of Griselda being one of the hardest camps in hip hop at the current moment.

Score: 4.5/5

Bang On! – “Defo Not Normal” review

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom emcee Bang On! dropping his 3rd EP fully produced by London beatsmith & audio engineer Reklews. Making his full-length studio debut in the spring of 2012 with the moderately received sic, he would go on to sign to Blah Records at the beginning of 2018 & make his debut for the label with The Power of Not Being Arsed. He only dropped Str8 2.mp3 a few weeks earlier & is continuing the summer by making it clear that he’s Defo Not Normal.

We get a cloudy hardcore opener in the form of “Fuck That Shit” suggesting people get with the program since there’s no plan B for him whereas “Girls” takes the boom bap route instrumentally basically doing his own take on the JAY-Z single “Girls, Girls, Girls” down it being sampled during the hook taking a more melodic approach to delivery after the 1st verse. “Smoking Weed” reaches the halfway point of the EP making up for the previous track by cooking up a stoner’s ode.

“No Graft, No Gain” gets the other leg of Defo Not Normal started by going for a grime vibe sonically talking about people not having any glory if the don’t have the guts leading into some rap rock influences seeping through so he can tell those anyone sleeping on him that they’re gonna “Find Out” rather quickly. “The Right Coat” spends the last few minutes talking about him feeling as if no one likes him, which resulted in him becoming emotionlessly cold as fuck.

Of the 2 extended plays that’ve come out in less than month, I had higher expectations for Defo Not Normal & would consider it to be an improvement above it’s predecessor. Reklews’ production is more versatile than the traditional boom bap sound that the Children of the Damned or it’s successor the Cult of the Damned & Hock Tu Down have all become known for & Bang On! gets more serious topically rather than continuing Str8 2.mp3‘s satirical commentary.

Score: 4/5

Future – “SAVE ME” review

Future is a 35 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia who came up as a member of the Dungeon Family thanks to his cousin Rico Wade of Organized Noize. He officially made his debut in 2012 with Pluto & would later follow it up with a hot streak of modern day trap essentials like Honest, Monster, Beast Mode & my personal favorite of his: D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2). However since 2017, Future has mostly been painting himself in a corner & prioritizing quantity over quality. I mean sure HNDRXX took a more sensual approach & SUPER SLIMEY showed a pretty great chemistry with fellow trap trailblazer Young Thug, but Beast Mode 2 was a step down from the predecessor & he got with Juice WRLD last fall to put out a collab tape that literally should’ve never happened: WRLD on Drugs. Finally at the very beginning of this year, Future’s previous album The WIZRD was just passable even though it showed NO artistic evolution WHATSOEVER. All that being said, I was curious in trying out his debut EP over here that he randomly decided to drop.

The opener “XANAX DAMAGE” is a mindnumbingly repetitive piece about venting to this chick over a trap beat with a depressing acoustic guitar passage while the next track “ST. LUCIA” produced by Fuse sounds like it could’ve been on Future’s last album, really. The song “PLEASE TELL ME” is a simp anthem a spacey beat from Richie Souf while the track “SHOTGUN” is a horrifically corny ballad with an annoying hook & a buttery instrumental.

The song “GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL” talks about the party life over a haunting trap beat & while the penultimate track “EXTRA” has an endearingly depressing tone to it, the producer FXXXXY sounds EXACTLY like Drake on the post-chorus & it’s SCARY. The EP then closes out with “LOVE THY ENEMIES”, where Future vents about his insecurities over an gloomy guitar passage.

I wasn’t expecting much from this & the end result was pretty average. It’s interesting to hear him going into a more emo direction on a few cuts, but the songs don’t sound fully complete to me. If we’re truly getting a HNDRXX 2 at some point, then I hope it’s better than this.

Score: 2.5/5

Elcamino – “Lot & Abraham” review

Elcamino is an MC from Buffalo, New York that I discovered when he dropped his self-titled EP with Griselda Records in November of 2017. He then followed it up with his debut mixtape Walking on Water last summer & now just 2 months after his debut album Don’t Eat the Fruit, he’s already delivering his 2nd EP with DJ Shay producing it in it’s entirety.

After the intro, we go into the title track. Where Camino reflects on his past over a mellow beat with some horns. The song “2-Tone Joint” talks about his crack dealing days over a soulful beat while the track “Formula” pays tribute to Camino’s mother over some background vocals & a piano load.

The song “Break Bread” talks about knowing his time is coming with over an orchestral beat while the track “Strolling Down Rodeo” continues to brag over some joyous piano chords. The song “Gutta Shit” lives up to it’s title lyrically over some strings & then the EP ends with “Can’t Be Saved”, where Camino talks about people he knew over some guitar licking.

This is honestly tied with the self-titled EP for Elcamino’s magnum opus. The lack of features can leave it somewhat monotonous & a few of the tracks sound unfinished, but his lyrics are sharper with each release & DJ Shay solidifies himself as one of the best producers in the underground right now.

Score: 4.5/5

Supergang – Self-Titled review

The Supergang are a quartet from England, United Kingdom consisting of Runcorn, Cheshire, emcee/producer Lee Scott, London emcee Milkavelli, Sheffield emcee Sniff & finally London producer Sumgii. All of whom have cross paths with each other several times over the courses of each member’s careers, so them forming & introducing themselves as a unit by dropping an eponymous debut EP under Blah Records was understandable given the founder of the label’s involvement in many different side projects.

The g-funk instrumental on the intro “Zap” was a welcoming way to get the extended play started having each of them spitting hardcore verses without the need of a hook whereas “Yellow x Green” goes for a lo-fi boom bap vibe talking about dreaming in only those 2 colors. “GNGLVD” keeps the beats dusty making it clear the Devil Gang’s retaliation has begun while “Do It Twice” rawly yet slowly talks about living life do or die because of the rush they get out of it.

“I Confess” starts the backend of the Supergang’s self-titled debut admitting to pushing drugs on their Twitter feeds & being happier than a kid on Christmas Eve once they’re caught instrumentally experimenting with trap leading into the “Unofficial Anthem” coming through with their own 5 & a half minute theme song. “Bubblewrap” closes up shop with 1 last boom bap beat subduing it so all 3 lyricists can fire off 1 last hardcore verse of their own.

Making it their mission to become the UK hip hop scene’s next unstoppable force, the Supergang’s inaugural musical statement certainly does what everyone involved had set out to do & those who enjoy the Mcabre Brothers’ output or Nobodies Home’s debut EP ADHD Concerto 77 wouldn’t deny it. Sumgii’s production here sticks out amongst the funkiest he’s ever made & Lee handles the verse with both Milkavelli & Sniff by his side rather than either or.

Score: 4/5