Ian – “2005” review

St. Louis, Missouri rapper/producer Ian is back after 12 whole months for his sophomore effort, 5th EP or debut mixtape. A member of the D1shonorable collective, he got his start in 2019 producing the single “Know That” by Izaya Tiji before going on to release 3 EPs of his own: Only for a While, Remembrance & the gyo-produced Empty Suit. Akon’s brother Bu Thiam signed him to his Columbia Records imprint Buvision Entertainment this spring for his previous EP Valedictorian, which received mixed responses although I personally found to have it’s highlights like “Chauncey” & “Magic Johnson”. Goodbye Horses even had its own highs like “3.5” or “Out West”, surprise-releasing 2005 only 53 weeks later.

We get some colorfully peppy synthesizers during the intro “Go Ian” taking a boastful approach to the lyrics feeling like that people have a bad impression on him ever since signing to a major label whereas the rage-inducing “Aw Shit” talks about keeping it 100 even if he isn’t perfect. The self-produced “You Told Me” reserves the drums for the final minute or so not making any plans because he’s vibing while the mediocre trap/pop rap single “I Ain’t Coming Back” prior to the Bhad Bhabie interlude talks about being good all by himself, having a lot of questions for his ex-girlfriend & even more for her mother.

“Talk About It” brings the synths back in effect thanks to Internet Money Records in-house producer NASH so he can reflect over a relationship prior to “Remember Me” continuing to delve deeper into the topic of love accompanied by a piano instrumental. “Have My Back” proves a comparison Tyler, The Creator had made between Ian & Future clear as day, although “Soul Provider” produced by FNZ could be his most emotional track ever & “Friends from Everywhere” ends with Ian shouting out his homies all around the world over a beat from Swaggyono of Working on Dying.

Serving as a prelude to Valedictorian 2 coming out a couple months ago as revealed via an Easter egg in the artwork, 2005 finds Ian returning behind the boards since he didn’t produce anything on the original Valedictorian or Goodbye Horses & I can appreciate that to the highest extent because Ian can be likened to ΠΔV in the sense that I enjoy his production work more than a good chunk of the major label material. Will he capitalize on his production skills more a couple months from now? Only time will tell.

Score: 2.5/5

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Monie Love – “Love Notes” review

Monie Love is a 55 year old MC, actress & radio host from London, England, United Kingdom making her full-length debut on Devil’s Night 1990 under Warner Records with Down to Earth. Her sophomore effort In a Word or 2 produced by Marley Marl & surprisingly the late Prince would leave fans divided over 3 decades ago although I personally like it more than Down to Earth. Returning to music 10 days ago after appearing on 7xvethegenius’ new album Self 7xve 3, the Native Tongues member looks to take her comeback to newer heights by dropping off a brand new EP of material a day prior to former AEW Women’s World Champion Blake Monroe becoming the new NXT Women’s North American Champion.

“Sho Luv” produced by Baby Paul formerly of Da Beatminerz bestowing the new level that she’s elevated herself to after over 3 decades of being gone whereas “Cape Vinny” takes the soulful boom bap route instrumentally to talk about clarity settling in because of her thoughts getting crowded. “Jus We” featuring Ruste Juxx & T3 continues the sampling of soul for a romantic direction topically while the lead single “Divine” featuring Skyzoo & Tuff talks about memories taking center stage onstage of fading.

The 3rd & final single “Mo’ Skillz” featuring Amil starts the backend of Love Notes marking the return of Roc-A-Fella Records’ 1st Lady herself joining Monie in ripping it over a sample of “Shadows” by The Mysterious Flying Orchestra for a nod to the Gang Starr single “Skills” leading into “Atonement” incorporating strings & synthesizers talking about reparations along with handing people the same rope she was given. The 2nd single “1 People” featuring Nana Fofie to me serves as the official closer excluding the “Sho Luv” remix experimenting with dancehall.

Originally teased in the fall of 2021 under the title Lovestruck, we finally got Baby Paul convincing one of hip hop’s pioneering women in Monie Love to come back after pursuing a radio career since In a Word or 2 because of surface pressure that a lot of artists can undergo now & the shape of the forever evolving industry we’ve all come to cherish so greatly. Together, their attempt at a grassroots level extended play makes up for it’s lengthy delays speaking from the heart with a handful of well-picked guests having 0 worries regarding who’s gonna stream or buy it.

Score: 4/5

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BNYX – “Loading…” review

BNYX is a 30 year old producer, songwriter & occasional rapper from Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania mentored by Jean Baptiste & joining the Working on Dying production team known for pioneering tread music. He’s also known for being an extensive collaborator of Yeat, signing to the latter’s Lyfestyle Corporation imprint under Field Trip Recordings & Capitol Records distributed by Universal Music Group. In preparation for his upcoming full-length solo debut Genesis FM, he’s dropping off a taste of what’s to come with a debut EP.

“Room of Smiles” by Dayne Jordan & UHMEER co-produced by BNYX’s brother BEAUTIFULMVN begins by talking about meeting a woman who happens to be incredibly fashionable & once the sample drill-influenced “Telepathy Love” by Clara La San describes a kind of love that feels telepathic hence the title, “Interstellar” by George Clanton & Jahvor finds the pair talking about a man & a woman being unified by yearning for one another.

Fortunately the 2nd half is where things start to pick up, with Johnny Yukon delivering an alternative R&B banger called “Water” hoping the door’s open when comes back once he picks up motion while my favorite track “Proud of Me” by Earl Sweatshirt talks about hoping his mother Cheryl Harris is happy for him, which meant a lot as someone who was around during the Odd Future era in light of Twitter trying to cancel Tyler, The Creator. As for the closer “Switch It” by Yeat & Zukenee, both of them unite for an outro staying more dangerous than ever.

Some of you may remember that I praised BNYX near the end of 2023 as the best mainstream producer of that year & as happy as I am for him getting a label dark, his inaugural EP preluding his upcoming debut LP gives the impression that it could be average at best. I don’t have any complaints in terms of the trap, cloud rap, pop rap & rage production. However, my biggest criticism regarding Loading… is easily the consistency amongst the guest performers & sometimes that tends to be the case with producer albums.

Score: 3/5

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BabyBartier – “Terror” review

This is the 4th EP from Los Angeles, California rapper BabyBartier. Introducing himself to the underground trap scene off his debut EP Baby Blanco earlier this spring followed by Diablo a little over a month later, his popularity would continues to grow in the summer with Awe$ome receiving co-signs from the likes of Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor along with both of YSL Records’ newest artists 1300SAINT & 9 Vicious although they fell out with one another recently. Almost a week away from Halloween, he’s looking to reek some Terror.

“Grave” starts off by hopping over a cloudy instrumental assuming that he’s suicidal the way his diamonds be cutting his wrists & once “Big Dope” locks in with Patrick Garza to talk about smoking the loudest of loud, the lead single “Marilyn Monroe” produced by Rio Leyva & Vendr reaches the halfway point comparing his girl to the iconic actress & model along with looking to up the score in Los Angeles with his homies beside him.

The 2nd & final single “New Age 2Pac” talks about himself being a madman although it’s titular comparison has become increasingly cliche over time & after “Maybach Minivan” spends the next 90 seconds detailing his lifestyle posting in Malibu on top of a Jwade beat, “Long Time No See” finishes up talking about a woman selling her soul for gold over a Cadeinstrumental.

Looking to get his scare on in preparation for the spookiest time of the year, Terror elevates BabyBartier’s artistry even further with the greatest EP of the 4 that he’s given us in these past 6 months & coming closer to the BabyBoyRecords founder’s full potential being realized. In only 10 minutes, the production is quite stronger than all 3 of its predecessors & the west coast artist lyrically steps his whole game up with ease.

Score: 4/5

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O.T. the Real – “The Wars I’ve Won” review

Brand new EP & the 9th altogether from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emcee O.T. the Real. Getting his start in the underground almost a decade ago after coming home from prison & dropping his debut single “Papercuts”, his profile began to grow from there after showcasing his skills on radio stations or dropping 9 albums as well as a mixtape & his last 8 EPs. My favorites being the Heatmakerz-produced 3rd EP The Irishman & the DJ Green Lantern-produced 3rd album Broken Glass that dropped on my 25th birthday & the Statik Selektah produced Maxed Out. No Matter What, Desperation of December, It’s Almost Over & Red Summer were all hit or miss for me until O.T. finally signed to Black Soprano Family Records & enlisted araabMUZIK for Zombie to critical acclaim. Prepare for War & Pale Horse were ok, following up Moving Base O.T.’s eponymous debut showed improvement as did the Nickel Plated produced Cost of Living & The Devil You Know. 38 Spesh fully produced Possession with Intent a couple months ago & it’s my favorite of his in 2025, tapping in with Chop-La-Rok & Rare Scrilla to flex The Wars I’ve Won.

“Bird Flu” opens with a drumless rap rock instrumental advising to respect the chain of command whereas “Fishtown” work in a vocal sample talking about being quick to hit the highway since it’s a perfect plan to him. “Life+Life” featuring Benny the Butcher & T.F finds the trio over a boom bap beat ruthlessly attacking those who fucked around & woke the sleeping dogs up leading into “Soldiers” remembering a homie of his who got killed by a cop.

As for “Small Cars”, we have O.T. over more rap rock production talking about only smoking these days while “Floor Boat” asks God if he can get in Heaven still on top of a drumless guitar. “Everybody’s Gone” talks about the streets & fans adoring him maintaining a rap rock sound while “Mick Jagger” grittily boasts of him rolling with stones. “End of the Day” finishes The Wars I’ve Won giving a middle finger to beef since he’s eating better now.

Chop-La-Rok & Rare Scrilla’s production on Benny’s 6th EP Pyrex Picasso & Rick Hyde’s 10th EP Lupara are still enjoyable now than they were when both of them dropped, but them doing a new extended play with another skilled member from the B$F crew almost rivals O.T. the Real’s debut for TCF almost 3 months earlier. The jazzy boom bap styles of Possession with Intent are being carried over with hints of rap rock along with drumless & chipmunk soul added to the mix, soundtracking the descriptions of his battle victories.

Score: 4/5

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BVNGS – “Twice a Day w/ Food” review

This is the 7th EP from New York City emcee BVNGS. Beginning over a decade ago off the strength of her debut EP Not Available followed up by 7 Dutches & a Sweet Tea, Brown Girls & Bubble Coats, Lula & Only Crying Because I’m Drunk. She later blew up off her 6th EP LaQuisha in the spring of 2021 & only 4 months later, I had the privilege of meeting her at a Catch 1 show in Los Angeles that Flee Lord was headlining & was impressed by her set. 16 months following her full-length debut Mary Mack, she’s enlisting DJ M80 to host Twice a Day w/ Food.

After the intro, the first song “Herald” reminds everyone how she got her moniker over some pianos & 808s whereas “Missed Call” takes the boom bap route instrumentally talking about getting her roll on if you don’t answer her calls. “Big Dipper” takes a rap rock approach to the beat flexing that she’s too hot to be so cold & after a “Drug PSA”, “Nubuck” experiments with cloudy trap so she can catch some Ws.

“125th Sandman” returns to the boom bap asking God to forgive her for being so shitty while “Subconsciously Yours” drumlessly looks back at a breakup. “Never Dawg” lusciously feels content with bum bitches not handling this shit while the funky “Doomsday” talks about feeling tired because of the state of the world. “Vanish” goes a sample drill direction getting too lit & the drumless chipmunk soul outro “I Swear” finishes by talking about keeping her head high.

Mary Mack was a solid return for BVNGS the summer prior, but Twice a Day w/ Food surpasses it by revisiting the distinct chemistry that made Brown Girls & Bubble Coats such an entertainingly short listen in 2019. We’re still getting the boom bap, trap & drumless production heard all over BVNGSY’s debut album 16 months earlier except there’s hints of rap rock & sample drill thrown into the fold with the east coast lyricist sounding a lot hungrier since she’s not on a label anymore.

Score: 4/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Lethal Weapon 4” review

Brand new EP & the 65th from Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records & being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He’s been putting out amongst his best material in the past few years like the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull, the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King series, the Oh No-produced Berserko, the Mike Shabb-produced Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth, Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. Preluding the upcoming 17th installment of the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga, Drega33’s continuing the Lethal Weapon series with installment 4.

“Never Miss” starts with a drumless chipmunk soul instrumental talking about living on in the pages of greatness whereas “The Storm” works in more sampling to put pressure on the whole rap game’s neck. “Solo Mission” continues the chipmunk soul vibes to talk about brutally slaying any opponent & “Never Full” chops up more samples so he can chill in luxury.

The song “Never Fail” begins Lethal Weapon 4’s final act with the Dump Gawd talking about only excelling than catching Ls on top of a drumless chipmunk soul sample while “So Many Rhymes” talks about the days when he used to feel trapped looking for a way out now going on a mission to inspire others. “Rage Quit” last but not least wraps things up leaving his competition dazed from a furious blaze.

Coming off FlyG’s greatest body of work Mennblvck earlier this summer & producing Che Noir’s recent single a week ago, Drega33 caught the attention of many including myself this spring by commencing the Lethal Weapon series as a bit of a quick breather in between Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap entries & that tradition is being continued with the most soulful of them all.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jason Martin – “A Hit Dog Gonna Holla” review

Compton, California emcee, songwriter & producer Jason Martin reuniting with Mike & Keys for his 4th EP. Originally known as Problem, he would go on to release over a dozen mixtapes as well as 4 full-length studio albums & a couple EPs. I can’t forget to mention both collaborative efforts DJ Quik, the first being Rosecrans back in 2017 & the follow-up Chupacabra days before Kendrick Lamar’s now historic 1-off Pop Out concert at the Kia Forum. Almost a whole year since Repack, they’re reuniting so A Hit Dog Gon Holla.

After the “Guns & Sandwiches” intro, “Let Me Roll My J” chops up a soul sample talking about looking to party until the sunrise whereas “Things You Learn While on the Grind” soulfully reflects on what he’s learned since hustling. “Docusign” gives off a drumless chipmunk soul vibe talking about not tripping over any obstacles while “Flu Game Jordan” continues to strip the drums so he can progress through extortion.

“We Know the Truth” continued with a hazy boom bap route talking about hearing nonstop cap spewing out these muhfuckas mouths while “Tee’d” drumlessly reminds us that everything comes with a fee instead of simply being granted to us. “Laugh Now Laugh Later” talks about how everybody be lying but after the “Goofy” skit, “Thang’s Just Ain’t the Same for Gangsters” calls back to “The Watcher”by Dr. Dre & sends off the EP being “Above the Noise”.

There was a lot of mixed reception towards the Repack last fall because of all the features on it & I’m pretty sure Jason Martin heard those criticisms since he takes up all of A Hit Dog’s Gonna Holla’s vocal performances by himself & results in an extended play that I prefer a lot more than the last 1 we got from him. Mike & Keys’ production returns to a traditional west coast sound coming off Tony Shhnow’s 8th album Self Portrait last month & Jason singlehandedly silences those who thought he had become reliant towards guests.

Score: 4.5/5

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Rafa – “Lil Dogshit” review

Detroit, Michigan rapper Rafa commemorating 3 years of his eponymous mixtape by surprise-releasing his 5th EP. Coming up as a member of the WRLD Tour Mafia a few years ago, he would also begin a solo career of his own starting on Thanksgiving 2020 with his debut EP Not for Household Use & followed it up earlier this year in the form his debut tape Dog$hit & Ammunition. Self-titled was a pivotal point in his career & Good Girls Don’t Exist from last spring was a superior EP. R.A.F.A. (Rockstars Are Fucking Awesome) broke down the meaning of his moniker & Madman got a little more reckless, making me curious as to what Lil Dogshit was gonna become.

“More of Us” has a cloudy Detroit trap vibe to it for an intro talking about leveling up on fuckboys & not trusting anyone out here whereas “Left on a Lick” promises to continue repping WRLD Tour in the afterlife. “Heat” produced by WTM Miles returns to a cloudier Detroit sound to talk about seeing through every single one of these pussies while “Uncle Sam” kicks the hoes out of the studio to focus more during sessions.

As for “Hate Me Too”, we have Rafa pointing out how weird it is for this bitch to be hanging out with the opps lately just before the cloudy Detroit trap crossover “Godzilla” talks about piling money to the ceiling these days. “Randy Savage” references the late WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE world champion & WWE Intercontinental Champion of the same name while “Rick Jeans Zip Weird” criticizes the zippers of Rick Owens jeans.

“We Ok” starts the final leg of Lil Dogshit with an eerier Detroit sound talking about shooting anyone who crosses the line with him while “<3 WTM CSB” cloudily suggests that just because you’re on a run at the moment doesn’t mean you have to stop stacking your bread up. “Paradise” keeps things cloudy instrumentally talking about not wanting any co-signs & “Still Tour” ends the EP by brushing off the desire of wanting to make amends with a couple people he fell out with.

Tough to say if I’d put Lil Dogshit above R.A.F.A. (Rockstars Are Fucking Awesome) because that & self-titled are both my personal favorite entries in Rafa’s solo discography, but what I can tell you is that I enjoyed it more than Madman only 5 months earlier. The production carries over the cloud rap/Detroit sound fusions that the previous EP emphasized this spring & making it a point for 22 minutes that nobody spittin’ like him.

Score: 4/5

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Doggystyleeee – “Music with Substance” review

San Bernardino, California emcee Doggystyleeee reemerging for his 6th EP. Coming up 6 years ago off his full-length debut Into Somethin’, he would go on to put out his last 5 EPs as well as 5 mixtapes & a couple more albums garnering interest to the point where WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg almost signed him to Death Row Records not too long after purchasing the label from MNRK Music Group to revive it. Blame It on My Crippin’ produced by AC3Beats was a tight way to start off his 2025 & is whipping up Music with Substance following a breakdown of his Split Personality.

“Money Motivated” samples “Foe tha Love of $” by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony featuring Eazy-E talking about the bread keeping him inspired whereas “Men Shouldn’t Cry” tells the story of a strong man who went through Hell & back to tie up the first half properly. “In My Bag” starts the 2nd half of the keeping money in his thoughts giving off a modern g-funk vibe while “2004 Flow” throws it back to the crunk days. “Energized” works in sampling to keep his 9 by his side while the closer takes the final 4 minutes & 20 seconds to get “A Few Questions” off his mind.

AC3Beats could very well be my personal favorite producer Doggystyleeee’s worked with because their chemistry is so distinctive, but I do appreciate him giving Peso Talks a chance to shine behind the boards since Music with Substance’s production acceptably meshes modern & classic west coast sounds taking a significantly meaningful approach to the songwriting capturing the gangsta themes that made the San Bernardino lyricist so popular near the end of the previous decade.

Score: 4/5

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