DJ Paul – “Power, Pleasure & Painful Things” review

DJ Paul is a 42 year old MC, producer, DJ, songwriter & entrepreneur from Memphis, Tennessee known for co-founding the seminal Three 6 Mafia with Juicy J. He made his solo debut in 2002 with Underground 16: For da Summa but for the past decade, Paul’s has delivered a total of 7 more albums through his Scale-A-Ton Entertainment record label including his 2015 magnum opus Master of Evil with the help of Psychopathic Records or the Year of the 6 duology in conjunction with Slumerican the following year. However after spending the last year & a half producing & doing features, he’s returning with his debut EP.

After the “Journey Begins” intro, we go into the song “Creepin’”. Where Paul teams up with Wifisfuneral viciously brag over a chaotic trap beat. Then after the “Life Figured Out” interlude, the song “Easy Way” with Yelawolf & the Seed of 6 sees the 4 vividly describing life in the gutter over a dark beat. After the “Cleaner Way” interlude, the song “Came Up” with Rob Vicious co-produced by TWhy is a mediocre anthem about making money. Especially with the tedious “me so horny” hook.

After the “No More Small Time” interlude, the song “Real Money” with Beanie Sigel is pretty much a sequel to the last joint except it’s way more tolerable & off the wall. After the “Life Got Real” interlude, the final song “They Beefin’” is a menacing diss towards people who choosin’ sides. Then the EP finishes off with the “Gettin’ Caught Up” skit & a spoken word outro.

While it’s not bad, it could’ve been a lot better in my opinion considering how overlooked DJ Paul has always been compared to Juicy J. Paul pretty much sticks to his guns both lyrically & sonically, but the interludes before every song are highly annoying. Nonetheless, still a neck-breaking prelude of something bigger to come.

Score: 3/5

Alla Xul Elu – “Church of Xul” review

Alla Xul Elu is an Ohio based horrorcore trio consisting of Billy Obey, Joey Black & Lee Carver. They started off as a duo, releasing their first 2 albums Head of Horns & Sci-Co in 2015. 2 years later, Lee joined & they dropped their debut EP Necronomichron that same year. However, it wasn’t until last year that the Xul made their biggest break to date with Twiztid signing them to their label Majik Ninja Entertainment. Their latest album/MNE debut The Almighty that dropped last fall is a modern horrorcore masterpiece in my eyes & now to accompany Twiztid’s brand new album Generation Nightmare, the 3 are back with their 2nd EP following their appearance at the 2nd annual Astronomicon.

After the “Welcome” intro, the first song “In the Church of Xul” slowly yet sinisterly tells us what goes in their world whereas “We Are One” advises you to believe over a nocturnally atmospheric boom bap fusion. “Preay” gets more murderous lyrically over a nocturnal instrumental while “To the Tome of the Black Tongue” hauntingly talks about possession. “The Goddamned” nears the conclusion by continuing the murderous themes & “Xuligans” finishes with a tribute to their fanbase with an old school boom bap approach to the beat.

Despite being an EP, this is just as fantastic as The Almighty & would prefer this over Generation Nightmare since it exemplifies why Alla Xul Elu has become the most exciting horrorcore act in the past year or so. It sounds a lot darker than that previous album & I love how they hold it on their own to prove that they’re really are bringing a breath of fresh air in such an underrated subgenre of hip hop.

Score: 4.5/5

Rico Nasty – “Anger Management” review

Rico Nasty is a 21 year old rapper from Palmer, Park, Maryland that I first caught wind of last year with the release of her Nasty mixtape, which showcased a unique personality in Rico as well as her eclecticism. However, she’s now teaming up with Kenny Beats to deliver her debut EP.

The EP kicks off with “Cold”, where Rico talks about being the hottest female spitter in the game right now over an industrial beat. The next track “Cheat Code” talks about biters over an abrasive beat while the song “Hatin’” is an ode to boss bitches & I love how they revamp the same sample that JAY-Z & Timbaland used for “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”. The track “Big Titties” with EARTHGANG sees the 3 talking about their lifestyles over a quirky beat & after the “Nasty World” skit, the song “Relative” talks about how Rico’s fame as affected those around her over some somber piano chords & heavy bass. The track “Mood” feels more like a Splurge joint since he takes up a bulk of it while the song “Sellout” talks about loving yourself over a moody trap beat. The EP then finishes with “Again”, where Rico celebrates her success over a spacey trap beat.

Yeah, this is Rico’s best work yet. Her lyricism is sharper & Kenny just goes to show that he’s one of the hottest producers in the game at this very moment.

Score: 4/5

SOB x RBE – “Family Not a Group” review

SOB x RBE is a hip hop quartet from Vallejo, California consisting of Slimmy B, Yhung T.O., DaBoii & Lul G. I first caught wind of them last year with the song “Paramedic!”, which was a personal highlight for me on the soundtrack for the near perfect Marvel film Black Panther. They quickly followed this up by releasing their first 2 albums with EMPIRE Distribution entitled GANGIN’ & GANGIN’ 2, but both of them were incredibly average. However after striking a new deal with Def Jam Recordings, they’re now teaming up with Hit-Boy to deliver their 3rd EP.

The opener “Chosen 1” has a spacey instrumental & while I can appreciate the message, it doesn’t even sound fully written. The next track “Both Sides” sees all 4 talking about choosing sides over an eerie bass-heavy trap beat while the song “Stuck in the Streets” gets murderous over a druggy beat while the titular song gets braggadocious over an atmospheric beat.

The track “Can’t Fold” viciously flexes their wealth over a hyphy beat while the song “W.Y.O. (What You On?)” is a buttery, mediocre sex tune. The track “Ran Off wit It” reminisces about all the crazy things they did before the fame over a smooth instrumental while the song “Young Wild Niggas” is self-explanatory & the instrumental is monstrous. The EP then finishes with “Scoring”, where the group celebrates their newfound success over a pretty piano instrumental.

This is EASILY the group’s best outing yet. The production that Hit-Boy brings to the table is more hard hitting than that of SOB x RBE’s last 2 albums & everyone sounds hungrier than ever.

Score: 3.5/5

Split Prophets – “The Forecast” review

The Split Prophets are a hip hop collective from Bristol, England, United Kingdom consisting of Datkid, Upfront MC, Res 1, Joey Paro, Bil Next, Flying Monk & Badhabitz. Forming in 2012, they would go on to drop their first couple of EPs The High Life and Southbound & Down the following year. They would eventually make their full-length debut at the beginning of 2016 with Delta Bravo Kilo, returning 3 years later with their 3rd extended play.

Datkid & Upfront MC hop over a jazzy boom bap beat during the intro “Bad News” pleading to stop with all the nonsense whereas “Mustard” goes for a cavernously raw approach instrumentally talking about how every single member has been taking their own steps in becoming more successful. “Paperback Book” blends a guitar sample with some kicks & snares for a hardcore hip hop joint reminiscent of the ‘90s just before “You Do You” comes across a bit more atmospheric talking about doing your thing.

“My Team” gets the 2nd half going aggressively making it clear that nobody can match their individual flows while “6 Deep” brings back the jazz rap influences so they can tell all their haters that they’re never quitting & the haters can live with it in misery as far as the squad’s concerned. Joey Paro & Upfront MC team up on “The Monsoon” going back-&-forth with each other over an organ sample leading into Flying Monk joining them for the intro “Oii”.

Needless to say: the Split Prophets has collectively been on a musical hiatus since Delta Bravo Kilo with everyone focusing on their solo careers but whenever they’re ready to reunite for a sophomore effort, The Forecast hints at what we can expect from them in the best ways imaginable. Badhabitz’ jazzy boom bap production feels reminiscent to Illinformed’s & lyrically, they’re aren’t too far behind from the Cult of the Damned in the sense that every MC has their own way of sticking out.

Score: 4/5

Iglooghost – “Clear Tamei / Steel Mogu” review

Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, United Kingdom electronic music producer Iglooghost fulfilling his Brainfeeder Records contract with a double extended play & his 6th overall. Dropping his debut mixtape Comet_Camping (Brkfstttt) in 2013, he would go on to follow it up with his debut extended play Twenteen & its successor Treetunnels preceding Flying Lotus signing him to Brainfeeder. His debut for the label Chinese Nü Yr on Devil’s Night 2015 became some of the most creative wonky music of that year, looking to further the critically acclaim of full-length debut Neō Wax Bloom by compiling Clear Tamei & Steel Mogu.

After the “Påleo Mamu” intro, “New Vectors” gets things going with this genius 3 & a half minute opener working in some xylophone-like synthesizers & strings whereas the Disc 1 title track combines drill & bass, wonky, experimental hip hop, glitch hop, bubblegum bass, grime, liquid drum & bass, deconstructed club, neurofunk, halftime & hardcore breaks for a chaotic single. “Namā” might be the only track on Clear Tameisince it feels like he’s playing things safer leading into “Shrine Hacker” featuring BABii reaches the halfway point on an orchestrally bass-heavy note.

Disc 2’s titular song succeeding the “1st Vōids” intro wasn’t as strong as the latter’s & starts the other portion of the EP on a bit sourly just before “Black Light Ultra” makes up for it by sampling “Ain’t It Funny” off Danny Brown’s masterpiece Atrocity Exhibition. “Mei Mode” whips up a futuristically energetic wonky, bubblegum bass, hybrid trap, deconstructed club, brostep & grime single that can be rhythmically quirky at times “Niteracer” wraps it up with this wonky, hybrid trap, UK bass, drill & bass, glitch hop, EDM trap, grime & bubblegum bass outro.

When it comes to Iglooghost’s EPs, I’ve always had Chinese Nü Yr as my favorite but I’m gonna have to put Clear Tamei / Steel Mogu above it considering we get some backstory behind the English producer’s full-length debut out of it. Both sides contain similar production styles including wonky, UK bass, hybrid trap, drill & bass, glitch hop, deconstructed club, hybrid trap, bubblegum bass & glitch hop except Steel Mogu’s significantly darker than Clear Tamei & we’re conceptually being introduced to young God in-training named Tamei who winds up in combat against a group of mysterious beings 3 millenniums preceding the events of Neō Wax Bloom.

Score: 4.5/5

Conway the Machine – “Everybody is F.O.O.D. 3” review

Conway the Machine is a 37 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who has been hustling mad hard with his brother Westside Gunn & their label Griselda Records throughout the past couple years. He just dropped his 9th mixtape Everybody is F.O.O.D. last summer with a sequel this past winter & now with his Shady Records debut coming in June, he’s decided to drop a 3rd installment out of nowhere.

The EP kicks off with “Everbody is F.O.O.D.”, where the Machine spits battle bars keeping elbows flying like the late WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time world champion & Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage over an eerie boom bap beat. “The Basement” challenges his competition over a prominent guitar while the song “Country Mike” continues the confrontational themes over some somber keys. The track “Richest in the City” talks about that over a a nocturnal boom bap beat & while I do like the fitting sample as well as the drug dealing story being told on “Egyptian Cloth”, it sounds unfinished. The song “London Pound” with Berner gets boastful over a mediocre trap beat from Cookin’ Soul & then after the “Survival” interlude, the closer “Don’t Judge Me…” picks up as Conway talks about how he speaks his mind over a gloomy boom bap beat.

All & all, this definitely has me looking forward to The Machine’s upcoming Shady Records debut even more. Conway sticks to his guns lyrically & he returns to his boom bap roots for the most part on this one in comparison to the previous installment being more diverse, but it works out fantastically. However, my big complaint is that he could’ve fleshed out a couple tracks & add about 2 more songs in the mix. Nonetheless, great EP.

Score: 4/5

Baka Not Nice – “no long talk.” review

Baka Not Nice is a 40 year old rapper from Montréal, Québec, Canada who started out as a security team member of Toronto, Ontario superstar Drake. He eventually signed to Aubrey’s very Warner Records imprint OVO Sound in 2013 & got a weird case of him forcing a 22-year-old woman into prostitution only to steal her money shortly after & questioning him being around him. Now just a few months after releasing his debut EP 4Milli this past fall, he’s returning with a follow-up EP that’s only 3 tracks.

The opener “My Town” gets confrontational over a nocturnal beat provided by 40 that fits in solidly & then there’s the song “30”, where Baka monotonously brags & the instrumental on here is super skeletal. The closer “Caddy’s” kinda bounces back as it’s a strip club anthem that actually goes over better than I had expected & the Juicy J verse is just flawless.

This is definitely better than 4Milli, but not by much. It goes a bit harder, but I think Baka & company could’ve worked in 2 or 3 more cuts so that it would become a more fleshed out product. Regardless, this has me a bit more curious to hear something bigger that he may have coming down the pipe soon.

Score: 3/5

Xtra Overdoze – “Viral Injection” review

Xtra Overdoze is an MC from The Bronx, New York who I first caught wind of with his debut mixtape WTFIXO? back in 2017 & to prepare for his first full-length album, he’s back with his debut EP.

The “Introjection” starts off as a decent skit, but then it erupts into a chaotic beat & a rapid-fire flow. The next song “What the Deal?” talks about being too live over an old fashioned boom bap beat while the track “My Mentality” talks about wanting to be forgiven over an ominous beat. The song “Don’t Stop” gets wicked over a rap rock beat while the track “She a Freak” with F. Dux speaks for itself over a synth-inflicted trap beat.

The song “Sour Apple” with Lex the Hex Master sees the 2 talking about their come up over some prominent keyboards & punchy drums while the penultimate track “Red Dixie Cup” is of course an alcohol anthem with a bouncy beat. The EP then finishes with “Dead Language”, where Xtra starts to vent over a haunting instrumental.

All & all, this has me excited to hear more of what this dude has coming in the future. The production is dark & Xtra Overdoze’s lyricism is cutthroat. Definitely an exciting new face in the horrorcore scene.

Score: 3.5/5

BVA – “Peep the EP” review

Glastonbury, Somerset, England, United Kingdom emcee & Real Life Drama Records co-founder BVA preluding his sophomore effort with his 2nd EP. A member of The 4 Owls as well as the Brothers of the Stone & the 3 Amigos, his solo debut B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) arrived in 2014 under High Focus Records roughly 3 years succeeding an eponymous debut extended play. However, the Leigh Brothers being enlisted to produce Peep the EP in it’s entirety caught my attention coming fresh off a Return to Stoney Island.

“Friends” produced by Leaf Dog kicks off the EP with a boom bap instrumental talking about it seeming like we’re going for broke sometimes & checking the notes as a result of that whereas “Brothers” blends some kicks, snares & grand sampling techniques to discuss making ducats with all of his homies. Illinformed jumps behind the boards on “Mary” beginning the 2nd half telling the story of an attractive woman whose appearance has become 50/50 over time while the soulfully jazzy “Chris” talks about not needing someone like the very character down for whatever.

We’ll we’ll just have to wait & see if BVA can surpass B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) in terms of a future LP from him down the pipe whenever that comes, but Peep the EP for only 4 tracks to me was more enjoyable than the 2011 self titled EP. Both of Leaf Dog & Illinformed’s portions of the boom bap production feel a lot stronger, with Leaf refraining from accompanying his Real Life Drama co-founder like he did for 3 songs right when the 2010s began & BVA getting more conceptual than he did with the last couple times he’s dropped material all by himself.

Score: 4/5