Boston underground producer Stu Bangas is back again for a sophomore full-length LP solely under his own name. For over the last 15 years, the dude’s résumé is an ever-growing list of veterans ranging from members of the Army of the Pharaohs collective to the late Sean Price. But since 2019, he’s been steadily grinding his ass off producing projects for the likes of Ill Bill & Recognize Ali. However with the 2-year anniversary of his official full-length debut Death Wish approaches next month, Stu’s returning for a sequel.
After the intro, the first song “Inhumans” by Apathy couldn’t have started off the album any better with it’s to boom bap instrumental the lyrics that take everyone who’s tuning in on a trip through the underground whereas “Sus” by Ras Kass works in some twinkling chimes as well as kicks & snares to talk about hating it when people act suspect. “Of Course It’s Me” by Ty Farris happens to be synthesizer/boom bap crossover boasting that both of them be unstoppable leading into “Hooligan Music” by Da Flyy Hooligan hooks up a flute over kicks & snares providing a theme song for the hoodlums.
After the first of 2 interludes, “Y’all Clowns” by Celph Titled & Psycho Les finds the 2 getting in their hardcore bags over a quirky boom bap beat just before “Gracious” by SmooVth cooking up more synths with kicks & snares explaining that his state of mind is hurtful. “The Garden” by Timbo Kingkeeps it rugged clarifying this that different taste but after another interlude, “Feeling Brolic” by Recognize Ali & Vangarde takes the symphonic boom bap route feeling like they have a extremely muscular physique. The final “Deity” by Raze the Ratchet prior to the outro ends the album heinously calls for him rappers to face scrutiny.
Almost 2 years later & Death Wish is still one of my favorite producer curated LPs that I’ve heard in recent memory, so that was more than enough to have me anticipate hearing what Stu was gonna do with the sequel & I enjoy it as much as the predecessor. Only a couple weak guest performances like last time, but the boom bap production still hits hard & a majority of those who take the mic rip it up.
Odd Holiday is an MC/producer duo consisting of Mattic on the mic & Daylight Robbery! behind the boards. Both of whom are members of the group Clouds in a Headlock from the ŌFFKILTR collective, whom just dropped their full-length debut Breakfast in Phantasia last fall. But as we enter the last month of spring, Mattic & Daylight Robbery! are joining forces to bang out a full-length debut together just in time for summer to arrive in less than 4 weeks or so.
“Brute Starr” is a remarkably jazzy opener to the album talking about being in terminator infrared mode whereas “Adam West High School” samples Shamek Farrah’s cover of “First Impressions” talking about about being a graduating fool from the fictional high school in the long-running FOX animated series Family Guy. “Boarded Up Portals” has a mystic quality to the instrumental so he can ether anyone & anything who steps up to him just before “Cream of the Crop” flips The Escorts’ cover of “Look Over Your Shoulder” with the title saying it all pretty much.
Meanwhile, the title track goes into classier turf tackles the idea of how this crazy thing we call life can be strangely changing as time goes on leading into “Free Folk” weaves some strings into the fold advising to stop rushing to be next. “Artistically Sheldon (Autism Lyricism)” if you couldn’t tell by the title revolves around Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory & the speculation of him being autistic which is a pretty interesting subject matter in my opinion over a bluesy guitar, but then “Omen Key” gives off a more alternative edge reminds the listener to “bust the glass in case of an emergency”.
“Varsity Team” begins the final leg of the album incorporates some spine-tingling background vocals talking about letting the freshman in while “LSD Written” offers a glossier approach going with the breeze. The song “Odd Holiday” dives into minimal territory wrecking the normal for those doing it solely for clout while the penultimate track “It Is Whut It Iz” has a wavier feeling this time around talking about the Earth being in it’s ending stage. “The Mandalorian” however is a jazzy closer calling himself a lyrical maniacal & that he was lying when he said he called others dope.
For those of you who walked away impressed by Breakfast in Phantasia, you’re gonna want to give L.I.S.A (Life is Strangely Altering) a listen because Odd Holiday really help being the best out of one another on this debut album of theirs. Daylight Robbery!’s production is rooted by a crate-diggers ear with minimal intervention to maximum stirring effect with limitless range & Mattic engages with the altering world around us in the wake of global upheaval with a lazy laid back simple but puzzling pen.
This is the 8th full-length album from Brooklyn underground veteran Ill Bill. Rising to prominence as a member of the seminal quartet Non Phixion, he would become one of the most hard working dudes in the underground whether it be his solo discography or his subsequent output as part of groups like La Coka Nostra & Heavy Metal Kings. Last we heard from the Cult Leader was during the COVID-19 pandemic when he formed the Gorilla Twins with NEMS & dropped their self-titled debut, following it up with his previous effort La Bella Medusa that same fall. But after 3 years in the making, the east coast MC/producer is returning in the form of Billy.
“Alpha Futura” is a 2-minute opener with a whimsical boom bap instrumental & Bill referring to himself as a supreme guillotine whereas “Hell Awaits” over a futuristically eerie instrumental from Furio with some kicks & snares talking about holding a rifle to someone’s head while holding the Bible at the same time. “Jordan 3s” speaks on chilling in the projects rocking the titular shoes over a nasty boom bap beat courtesy of Stu Bangas, but then the Boston beatsmith sticks around to helps him tell “The Ballad of Billy®” over a solemn loop attached to some more snares & kicks.
Moving on from there with “Know My Name”, we have Skam2? tagging along over an organ-laced beat with some claps cooked up by the former Old World Disorder member promising y’all gon’ know who they are once it’s all said & done leading into “Canarsie Koresh” returning to the boom bap courtesy of Lord Goat talking about keeping your weapon loaded. Immortal Technique & Sick Jacken both come into the picture for “Prophets of Doom” making it clear we could only be a second away from taking our last breaths with a cataclysmic instrumental from Farma G just before “The Mandalorian” fuses boom bap with some guitar licks calling himself the lone bounty hunter of Canarsie.
“Supreme Magnetic” by the Heavy Metal Kings & Lord Goat finds the trio over some string sections coming through with them aggressive battle raps we all know & after the “Higher Power” interlude, “Smarten Up” by the Gorilla Twins talking about all you know not being enough over a soulful Little Vic instrumental. “Once Upon a Time in Canarsie” with Lord Goat sees both Non Phixion members looking back on the days growing up where the sharks be over booming yet nocturnal beat while “Yallah Yallah” by La Coka Nostra & O.T. the Real talking about getting your face shot off.
Meanwhile, “This is Anger” weaves some more pianos on top of kicks & snares thanks to DJ JS-1 delving into lividness prior to the Heavy Metal Kings returning alongside Kool G Rap on “Root for the Villain” to cheer on the bad guys over a morbidly raw DJ Muggs beat. “Sunday at the Tunnel” hooks up a classy sample provided by Statik Selektah paying homage to his influences in hip hop while “Leviathan” with Tragedy Khadafi talks about murder making summer colder over a grisly instrumental.
Lord Goat & Q-Unique come together for the mellow “Chubb Rock” making it clear they treat ‘em right kin to the hometown veteran of the same name with the flamethrower until Tragedy Khadafi returns alongside Ransom to deliver the crooning “Casino” overdosing on confidence. OMB Jay Dee’s verse on “Willis” has to be the weakest feature performance on the album even though it’s still cool nonetheless to see Billy give props to the Brooklyn drill scene. On top that, I love the churchy C-Lance production along with the Gorilla Twins & Rittz’ performances wanting to know exactly what the fuck they talkin’ ‘bout referencing Diff’rent Strokes.
After the “Wrong Place” interlude, the penultimate track “Time to Go” makes it clear that the grim reaper lives in every violent soul there is with a foreboding beat featuring co-production from Scott Stallone & the closer “Omega Therion” referencing the iconic Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost’s timeless sophomore effort To Mega Therion of course as every Bill fan should know that he’s a metalhead wrapping the album up with an eerie boom bap heater Body Bag Ben cooked up streetsweeping everybody.
Obviously given the title, I went into Billy expecting this to be a more personal effort & lo & behold: That’s what we got & one that I would say is an improvement to La Bella Medusa as dope as that album was a few Halloweens back because Bill never disappoints if we’re being honest here. Some people will complain about the 71 minute runtime, but he definitely he has the lyrical prowess & the gulliest batch of beats to pull it off as he does here.
Clouds in a Headlock are an international psychedelic hip hop supergroup consisting of emcees Dr. Outer, Èph & GT Lovecraft as well as the production duo Runaway 45. As artists members of the ŌFFKILTR collective, they started making waves off their debut mixtape Asmattic that celebrated its 2 year anniversary earlier this month. But now after landing a deal with Fat Beats Records not too long ago, the quintet is getting ready to properly introduce themselves to a wider audience in the form of a full-length debut.
“Raw Suede” is a jazzy opener from none other than Runaway 45 with the trio advising those to bow down to them whereas “Snake Eyes” goes into funky boom bap territory talking about respecting the clique. “Phantasia” has a more vintage sound to it with the dusty beat sounding like it was made in the 90’s speaking on their being no limits just before “Another Summer” has a more glistening flare to the instrumental talking about continuing to rock on.
Meanwhile on “The Clouds”, we have Clouds in a Headlock getting more abstract lyrically accompanied by a ghostly vocal sample leading into “Rigmarole” pulling from some blues influences sonically talking about that everything that they hearing in this world is pretty wacky to them. “Artists of the Floating World” is a bit more piano-based instrumentally with some more well-structured cryptic bars, but then “Paperweight” returns to a more jazzier sound talking about holding it down.
“3D Maze” has a more soulful vibe to it assuring that they’re thriving instead of surviving & keeping it moving while the song “Midnight Gospel” comes through a vintage piano loop dedications shots to all his people on the frontline & showing y’all the way they fuckin’ do it. The organs throughout the funky “Flawless” are really sweet as the group encouraging one to give up the fire horse” while the penultimate track “Crushed Ice” blends jazz rap & with a slick bass guitar to call their telescope range limitless.
If you’re looking for a new alternative hip hop outfit to get into, then you’re gonna want to check this album out because I think what they got here is pretty interesting. The production is a bit on the more experimental side to it with the lyricism being kin to that of Company Flow or even the Souls of Mischief. Interesting to hear how much they artistically grow down the line.
Rock is a 46 year old MC from Brooklyn, New York notable for being a member of the Boot Camp Clik collective & 1/2 of the duo Heltah Skeltah alongside the late Sean Price. He & Ruck were also 2/5 of The Fab 5 with O.G.C. despite the fact that they never put out a full-length debut as a quintet. The Rockness Monsta has also given us a couple mixtapes as well as a full-length debut & an EP, the latter of which just came out this past spring. But for his sophomore effort right here, he’s enlisting Manhattan producer Ron Browz behind the boards for the entire thing.
“Lettuce & Cabbage” is a rugged boom bap opener with Rock attacking anyone who dares to step up to him whereas “Pay Me” works in a more symphonic trap instrumental talking about being the best. “Flamboyant” returns to the boom bap to declare his gun game as such leading into Method Man tagging along for the cacophonous trap banger “Beastie Boyz” talking about being beasts in their own rights.
Meanwhile on “Billy Joel”, we have Rock on top of another orchestral trap beat much like “Pay Me” brushing off the negative shit that they try to throw his way just before Bo Blackk & Milly D.O.D. come into the picture for “Feast” which I like the suspenseful production & the subject matter about being different, but the features just don’t do it for me personally with all respect. “Got It Movin’” blends some dramatic strings with hi-hats & snares acknowledging that he makes it look easy, but then “Faith” with The Last American B-Boy & Ron dives into jazzy yet soulful boom bap turf talking about not wanting smoke with them.
“Shark Tank” with Ruste Juxx & Steele returns to a more symphonic trap sound yet again flexing their lyricism while the song “Hood Up” brings it back to soulful territory talking about how you should always rep where you came from no matter where you shine. The penultimate track “Squad” with The Last American B-Boy embraces a dustier vibe to rep their crew & “The Answer” sends the album off with a cheerful trap hit with the lyrics coming from a more introspective place.
Of the 2 solo albums that Rock has given us in the last 5 years, Ether Rocks just might be my new favorite of the pair thus far. He sounds passionate & proves that he can still very much hold it down on his own this deep in his career, but a lot of the trap stuff that Ron Browz whips up sounds samey to me. That being said, the boom bap beats that he delivers suit the Rockness Monsta’s style much better.
Cappadonna is a 53 year old MC from New York City notable for being a member of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan since the mid/late 90s. His verse on “Winter Warz” is still regarded by many to this day to be one of the greatest verses in hip hop history & as much as I love his criminally underrated solo debut The Pillage, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say with all respect that his solo discography since has been nothing short of inconsistent ranging to be mediocre at best & complete trash at worst. But when it was announced that underground veteran Stu Bangas was going behind the boards for Cappa’s 15th album right here, my expectations for it were very high considering that Stu has been on a ROLL for the past few years now producing projects for the likes of Ill Bill & Recognize Ali only to name a couple.
After the intro, the first song “Bring It Out” sets it all off with some braggadocio on top of some suspenseful boom bap production whereas “Get Lost” takes a more solemn route talking about how the Wu’s the hardest team. After the “Discovery” interlude, Celph Titled tags along for the horn-laced “Toss the Blick” to get on their hardcore shit just before “How We Rolling” dives into more playful turf talking about a fun night out.
Meanwhile on “Continuous Threat”, we have Planet Asia accompanying Cappa over a keyboard-driven boom bap instrumental spitting some lethal battle raps leading into Sick Jacken coming into the picture for the dusty “Everything is Measured” talking about how fly both of them are. The track “No Fake Dreads” following the “Redemption” interlude works in some more horns to get that bread & prior to the outro, the final song “Tryna Survive” with Ill Bill ends the album on an uncanny note talking about life in the projects.
All 3 of the singles that Cappa has dropped throughout the summer had me anticipating 3rd Chamber Grail Bars to be amongst his best solo albums yet & not only did it achieve that status, but it’s also my favorite project to come out of the Wu-Tang Clan anthology this year. Stu Bangas’ production is a breath of fresh air compared to most of Cappa’s output post-The Pillage & lyrically, he reminds everyone exactly who the fuck he is.
Diamond D is a 54 year old MC/producer from The Bronx, New York who came up as a mentor of Jazzy Jay. He would then form the D.I.T.C. collective alongside Lord Finesse & Showbiz in ‘92 only to put out his classic full-length debut Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop shortly after. D went on to drop 4 more albums & a couple mixtapes of his own but now that it’s been a year & a half since Gotham gave us their acclaimed self-titled effort, he’s back in effect for a 6th album.
After the Chris Rock intro, the first song “Life’s What You Make It” is a symphonic opener to the album produced by Focus… talking about never saying your word’s your bond & breaking it whereas “Live My Life” takes a groovier approach encouraging to let him glow. Westside Gunn tags along for the guitar-driven “Faithful” getting in their mafioso bag leading into the title track bringing back the strings thanks to Nottz taking about feeling so free.
Meanwhile on “Godly”, we have Diamond D over some dusty drums & pianos confessing that’s exactly how he’s feeling just before Dre comes into the picture for the classy “Neva Settle” talks about keeping their eyes up & that they gotta get it. After the “Joe Crack” interlude, “Ouuu” mixes some lavish keyboards & a crooning vocal loop reminding that nothing can stop you as long as you listen to your heart prior to the synth-laced “Smoke Sumthin’” dedicating a banger to all the chiefers out there.
“The Wrong Thing” comes through with a more smoother aesthetic getting on the more romantic side of things, but then the Posdnuos-assisted “Flying High” delivers a charming banger about being the hardest. The song “The Man’s Swift” returns to the boom bap spitting some braggadocio while the penultimate track “The Scorn” with KP laces some horns talking about wanting the chicken & there isn’t any other like them. “Inertia” however serves as a mystical finisher saying all he honors is his balls & his word.
As much as I admired The Diam Piece & it’s sequel for primarily focusing on Diamond D’s production skills, I’d still recommend giving The Rear View a shot for those who missed hearing him on the mic. A couple weak features here & there, but the production is a lot more laid back with more slower tempos & the man himself sounds rejuvenated lyrically.
Canibus is 47 year old MC from Kingston, Jamaica who came up as 1/2 of the duo T.H.E.M. alongside C.I. back in ‘92. They eventually split up a few years later & Bis would blow up in ‘97 after appearing on the LL Cool J song “4, 3, 2, 1” that later resulted in a beef between both parties. He would then go on to make a lengthy yet consistent discography with albums like Rip the Jacker being breathtaking at best & then Mind Control being unlistenable at worst. Last we heard from him was in 2015 with the incredible Time Flys, Life Dies…Phoenix Rise fully produced by Bronze Nazareth & is now enlisting Body Bag Ben for his 16th full-length outing.
“Curmudgeon” sets off the whole album with a symphonic boom bap instrumental killing it for 4-minute about how bad-tempered he is whereas the “Entameta” remix sounds better than the original although the DMX feature is pointless because he doesn’t have a verse at all. “Hydra” takes a more dustier route ripping his opposition to shreds just before the production on “Live Action Role Play” seems ripped out of a horror flick portraying a dystopian future.
I have no doubt in my mind that “Travis Scott Concert” with Body Bag Ben himself & Born Sun was recorded before the ASTROWORLD Fest crowd crush that took place last month, but for him to keep it on the album just seems a little too soon if that makes any sense. However, “Animal Husbandry” picks things back up by declaring not giving a duck about much other than well-prepared bars on top of a dire beat. “COVID Santa” paints some incredibly vivid imagery having a more occult sound to it just before the intimidating “Kaiju Karaoke” continuing to slit doubters’ throats.
Meanwhile on “The Long Road”, we have ‘Bis on top of some dusty drums & shrilling synth melodies to take a ride out to the country side while the song “Verzuz”. As for the last 2 tracks: They’re both unnecessary remixes of the MF DOOM/Kool Keith loosie “Notebook 04” & “Desperados”, which was one of my favorites off Hus Kingpin’s last album The Firm.
For the 6 year wait, this is a fantastic comeback for the rapping scientist & arguably one of the best albums of his career thus far. He sounds incredibly focused continuing to rap circles around cats like it’s nothing & Body Bag Ben knocks it out or the park behind the boards.
Noveliss is a 33 year old MC from Detroit, Michigan who came up as 1/4 of the now disbanded Clear Soul Forces. However since 2018, he’s built an impressive solo career for himself with 8 EPs & the full-length debut Cerebral Apex. However in light of his born day earlier this week, he’s celebrating by dropping a sophomore album produced entirely by Dixon Hill.
“Empty” sets off the album on a jazzy note clearing out his mind whereas “Feng Sheui” takes a moody boom bap route talking about a dude with a stand alone complex. “Loss for Words” works in some pianos saying he don’t know better, but then “Sincerity & Reverence” is a lo-fi banger telling the story of his younger self. Meanwhile on “Scheminonameanin”, we have Noveliss contemplating the reason of life over an airy instrumental just before “Truthsayer” smokily gets on the conscious tip.
“Escaping” goes into a more moodier direction encouraging to embrace the highs & lows while the song “Spirit Bomb” spaciously talks about finding peace in a hyperbolic chamber. The penultimate track “Cold Mountain” once again returns into a more lo-fi kind of sound delivering nonstop wisdom & “Permanent Waves” closes out the album with an uplifting beat talking about being in search of such.
I’ve been following this guy alongside the rest of Clear Soul Forces for a minute & for the 3-year wait since Cerebral Apex, it was very much well worth it. Noveliss killed it with the basing the whole concept of the album on the I-Ching & Dixon’s production style couldn’t have been a suiting match.
Eternia is a 40 year old MC from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada who came up in 2005 off her full-length debut It’s Called Life. This was followed up with Where I’m At & the MoSS-produced At Last but after taking a 12 year hiatus, so much has happened to her in life & has decided to tap in Rel McCoy for her 4th album backed by now none other than Fat Beats Records.
After the intro, the first song “Freedom99” with Wordsworth kicks things off with a boom bap cut about how the city used to be their playground leading into him & Shad addressing homelessness on the emotional “Home”. She & Rel come together on the piano-tinged “Cycles” to talk about their lives are like 1, but then her husband Mr. Lif come together with “The Story of Us” compassionately detailing how they met.
“Most PPL” works in a fuzzy instrumental tackling the themes of loyalty just before “Praise” almost has a bit of a funk flare showing love to the higher power. “Grow” is quite possibly Eternia at her most vulnerable moments talking about how the world as she knows it is gone whereas “All the Men” dramatically calls out her exes on wax.
The song “Wonderful World” almost has a bit of a dystopian sound taking shots at modern technology while the penultimate track “Secret” finds Mr. Lif reuniting on top of a hollow instrumental tackling the theme of fear. “Let No Dream Fall” finishes off the album by emotionally telling us how she feels inside at the moment.
I was wondering what happened to Eternia for a while now, so it makes me happy to see that she’s made a comeback on here. She rips up the mic like she never even left to begin with & Rel McCoy’s production is just boom bap galore.
Legends Will Never Die 