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

Joker Starr – “Man’s So Shabba” review

Here we have the 4th extended play from Slough, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Joker Starr. Dropping his debut mixtape Raw Spittage in 2011, he would go on to follow it up with 4 full-lengths as well as all 3 of his previous EPs & a beat tape. London veteran Micall Parknsun being brought in to produce a vast majority of G.A.W.D. (God And Wisdom Driven) resulted in his finest album yet & seeing him coming back for 60% of Man’s So Shabba had me further intrigued.

The title track begins with a mediocre trap intro flexing like Shabba Ranks whereas “Bussa Buss Down” produced by Micall Parknsun to me is where the EP begins to pick up rocking it over a smoky instrumental. “Cooker” was another moment I enjoyed talking about getting it & after “Jones Brothers Get Low” gets awkwardly chaotic, the outro “Things That I Know” concludes the EP talking about the man wanting to see everyone be great when it’s all said & done.

Only a month away from Gawd Status making their full-length studio debut Firmamentum having Joker Starr rocking it over a collection of King Kashmere beats, he comes off G.A.W.D. (God And Wisdom Driven) by dropping off a collection of tracks that I found myself on the fence with compared to that LP. All 3 tracks Micall Parknsun produced make for the most gratifying moments Man’s So Shabba has to offer, the other 2 feel disappointingly flat.

Score: 3/5

Nah Eeto – “53” review

Nairobi, Kenya, Africa recording artist Nah Eeto dropping her debut extended play under one of London, England, United Kingdom’s biggest independent hip hop labels: Blah Records. Her debut single “Auntie, What Happened To Me?”would come out on my 22nd birthday & that quickly sparked interest in what the rest of 53 was gonna sound like. Especially since I’ve already familiarized myself with her through the guest appearances she’s done for the likes of Cult Mountain as well as Bisk & Black Josh to only name a few.

“Kichaa II” featuring Dope-I-Mean & Stinkin’ Slumrok begins with an English/Swahili intro produced by Lee Scott talking about the trio’s inability to turn down money but once “E Eye O” featuring Boutross & the Mcabre Brothers joins forces over a trap beat from Jack Danz to see who can have the most charming verses when I’d say the latter & Nah are tied, “Mafu” wraps up the 1st half of 53boasting that the devil wonders how she hasn’t fallen from grade yet.

Milkavelli appears for “Mbali No Machina” getting bilingual once more spitting fierce English & Swahilian verses over this experimentally atmospheric instrumental preceding Nah Eeto singlehandedly flowing on top of these ominous synthesizers from Sumgii during “Bila You”, discussing her capability of baggin’ drugs & simultaneously robbin’ a dealer along with a client of theirs. The closing track “Tick Tock” spends the remaining 3 & half minutes of the EP hitting us with a Swahilian drill outro.

Yearning to put the Swahilian hip hop scene on the map, Nah Eeto has come a long way from being a Blah Records videographer to her recent features across several projects & now releasing music under the imprint giving us a better understanding of her artistic & personal identity. 53’s guest list is a mix of Blah Records alumni & fellow Kenyan rappers, the production’s consistent & I feel like anyone looking to get into shrap will have a better understand of that style.

Score: 3.5/5

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

$uicideboy$ – “LIVE FAST, DIE WHENEVER” review

The $uicideboy$ are a hip hop duo from New Orleans, Louisiana consisting of G*59 Record$ founders Ruby da Cherry & $crim. They’ve been releasing a plethora of EPs & mixtapes since 2013, but it wasn’t until last September that they made their full-length debut with I WANNA DIE IN NEW ORLEANS. But now 8 months later, they’re delivering their 23rd EP & have enlisted the legendary blink-182 drummer Travis Barker to produce it in it’s entirety.

The EP kicks off with “Killing 2 Birds with 22 Stones”, where the duo get murderous over a grimy trap/metal fusion. The next song “Sour Grapes” calls out the music industry over an druggy instrumental while the track “DON’T TRUST ANYONE!” talks about paranoia over a noisy trap beat. The song “Individuality Was So Last Year” talks about wanting to be left alone over an atmospheric beat while the penultimate track “Aliens are Ghosts” brush off their naysayers over an eerie trap beat & I love how they incorporated samples of Anthony Fantano all over. The EP then finishes with “nothingleftnothingleft”, which is a dime a dozen digital hardcore cut about wanting to commit suicide.

All & all, this was a solid EP. The duo pretty much stick to their Three 6 Mafia influenced guns & Travis really helps enhance their aggression quite a bit. I also love how they got Munky from KoЯn to play guitar on half of the cuts to enhance the rock feeling to the project.

Score: 3.5/5

Wu-Tang Clan – “Of Mics & Men” soundtrack review

The Wu-Tang Clan. What can be said now about the iconic New York hip hop outfit that hasn’t been said already? From their iconic first 2 albums Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) & Wu-Tang Forever to the countless classic solo debuts like Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… & Supreme Clientele, they’ve always been rightfully regarded as the greatest hip hop outfit of all-time. Last time we heard from them collectively in an album capacity was in 2014 with A Better Tomorrow & with a SHOWTIME documentary being recently released, they’re coming together with the help of Nas’ Mass Appeal Records to deliver the soundtrack for it.

The soundtrack kicks off with “On That Shit Again”, where Ghostface Killah & RZA sound vengeful over a piano & some drums. The next song “Seen a Lot of Things” with Ghost & Raekwon pretty much speaks for itself over a prominent electric guitar & after the “Project Kids” skit, we go into the RZA solo cut “Do the Same as My Brother Do”. Where the Abbott kicks some knowledge over a punchy yet orchestral beat. After the “Yo is you Cheo?” skit & before the “1 Rhyme” outro, the final song of the EP is the title track. Where RZA gets with Cappadonna & Masta Killa boast over some prominent drums.

As much as I loved the documentary, this was a decent soundtrack. Most of the performances are fantastic don’t get me wrong, but it sounds like the Clan could’ve fully fleshed it out.

Score: 3/5