Tag: F1RSTCLASS

Jae Skeese – “40 Hours” review

Buffalo, New York emcee Jae Skeese is back for the 4th EP in his discography. Starting in 2010 off his debut mixtape W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks), it wasn’t until a decade later where he & 7xvethegenius gained wide exposure as the first signees to Conway the Machine’s very own Drumwork Music Group. The Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd EP Authenticity Check & the sophomore effort Abolished Uncertainties both elevated Skeese’s popularity in the last couple years. Coming off the Superior-produced Testament of the Times & elevating from Ground Level though, he’s starting 2025 right by putting 40 Hours in.

“Balance Inquiry” is this jazzy boom bap intro wanting to know what the holdup exactly is whereas “Rotary Phone” talking about the real ones always breaching through the walls at the end of the day. “Buffganistan” featuring Glueski dabbles with trap trading back-&-forth refusing to go broke while “FedEx” works the kicks & snares back up to talk about piecing it all together.

The song “Strike!” featuring K Pi$tol & Lil Jonezy reaches the backend of 40 Hours vibrantly boasting that this shit be larger than life itself leading into “Way Up” featuring Scoop Dolla fusing soul & jazz rap 1 time for ya mind. “Round & Round” concludes the EP hopping over a sample to read between the lines talking about finding once you set out to seek. The first bonus track “Toast Up” links with Ill Tone warming up for something greater & “Banditland” featuring Chasè Scanz ends the deluxe with a triumphant ode to Buffalo.

Looking to put on a handful of local artists & a couple producers, Skeese delivers vibes & bars for the Drumwork fanbase although I personally find myself gravitating towards the Ground Level mixtape that he delivered last summer. The production a lot like that previous body of work balances boom bap & trap except its predecessor contains stronger feature performances.

Score: 3/5

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Jae Skeese – “Ground Level” review

This is the 8th mixtape from Buffalo, New York emcee Jae Skeese. Starting in 2010 off his debut mixtape W.A.C.K. (Women, Alcohol, Cash & Kicks), it wasn’t until a decade later where he & 7xvethegenius gained wide exposure as the very first signees to Conway the Machine’s very own Drumwork Music Group. The Big Ghost Ltd.-produced 3rd EP Authenticity Check & the sophomore effort Abolished Uncertainties both elevated Skeese’s popularity in the last couple years. 5 months following the Superior-produced Testament of the Times, he’s looking to elevate from Ground Level.

“Brick After Brick” is a triumphant trap opener produced by Beat Butcha making it clear that he can’t be calm with this shit & the flame cannot be contained whereas “Peter Parker” featuring Malizah gives off a jazzy boom bap vibe thanks to Statik Selektah talking about hitting max potential to reach a higher leverage. “Situated” featuring Big K.R.I.T. & Sauce Walka connects the trio over more trap production so they can put in the work to reach the top of the mountain referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級王座, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer & Real American Beer founder Hulk Hogan while “Lost Puppets” hooks up the kicks & snares again reminding that he doesn’t flow a certain way.

Dave East & Jay Worthy join Skeese for the pop rap/trap hybrid “Sara Lee” talking about wanting to hit bitches from behind while “EKIN 4” stands as my favorite in the tetralogy from the rugged instrumental that Ski Beatz & MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 cook up to the hungry performances. “Ohana Means Family” radiates a summery trap flare telling his partner that she’s where he gets his muscle from as opposed to being his backbone, but then “Glory” keeps it trap talking about repping Buffalo & that Griselda set the expectations.

“Wic Coupons” nears the conclusion of the tape on an atmospheric note making it out of the mud while “E4W” reunites F1RSTCLASS returning to the boom bap allowing the duo to make a dedication to those who came from the ground up. “02 Yale Cup Champs” featuring Che Noir & Smoke DZA sees all 3 of them for a dusty 5 & a half minute barfest while “Fruits of the Labor” featuring Project Pat ends Ground Level on some soulful trap shit from Ill Tone grinding all the time.

If anything, this mixtape is a testament to Jae Skeese’s evolution as an artist blending raw emotion & storytelling with cutting-edge production. Furthermore, he paints an illustration of where he is today & the highs & lows in his journey which would shape & inform the artist chock full of wordplay. As a fan of 4 years, I’m thrilled that he’s taking the next step from coming up out of the basement & building on top of the foundation he’s been building ever since being taken under Conway’s wing.

Score: 3.5/5

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