Lil Tecca – “Dopamine” review

Here we have the 4th LP from New York rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & Galactic Records founder Lil Tecca. Blowing up in 2018 after signing a distribution deal with Republic Records & the viral single “Ran$om”, it would later be included on his debut mixtape We Love You Tecca that same year & would receive lukewarm reception although it’s truthfully grown on me a tad bit over the course of time. His debut album Virgo World was released during the pandemic & is widely considered to be the weakest entry in his discography. The last time we heard from Tecca was a couple summers ago when Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor executive produced a worthy sequel to We Love You Tecca & Tec showed maturity to the point where I recanted calling him a 1-hit wonder when Virgo World came out. Plan A came out last fall refuting the indication of him having a backup plan & Dopamine has arrived the weekend after the artwork was shared.

“Dark Thoughts” was an outstanding pop rap, g-funk & bounce single assuring his partner that she can open herself up to him whereas “Owa Owa” produced by Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor samples “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles talking about his time & presence not being taken for granted. “½ the Plot” hooks up a blobby bassline clarifying he does whatever he wants without any other options necessary, but then “The Truth” talks about doing so much with little to prove & always being outside.

Meanwhile on “Favorite Lie”, we have Tecca dismissing all the lame shit in addition to only rockin’ Gucci if it’s Tom Ford & referencing my favorite WR of all-time growing up Randy Moss just before “Hollywood” explains it’s been a while because of all the bullshit’s been going through as of late & being so fly to the point where others stop stylin’. “X Factor” suggests he might as well pull up to the UK since things out here are turning into the Simon Cowell hosted game show just before “Don’t Rush” advises his lover to slow things down in their relationship.

“Boys Don’t Cry” compares the relationship he’s currently in to Bonnie & Clyde on the verge of committing a crime & wanting to get to know her even though he can’t call her while the cloudy yet melodic “Sure of It” boasts about him walking into the bank on some movie shit coming with 1 life & opting to live it hard enough where he’s betting on himself every time. “LYK” tries to show this woman what’s right & what’s wrong feeling as if it’s him against the world like Rambo in First Blood leading into “On Your Own” counting all of his commas & not trying to speak leaving his texts on “read”.

Clams Casino & Ginseng link with Tecca on the standout “1 Night” talking about doing a hoe so badly that he’s pulling out voodoo magic on him while “Irish Goodbye” expresses a desire for him to go A.W.O.L. laying on the down low. “Wake Up” finds himself cancelling his plans & feeling like it’s all fake love whenever he rolls his dope up while “Malibu’s Most Wanted” talks about partying out in Austin, Texas pullin’ up in a foreign. “Tic Tac Toe” featuring Ken Carson finishes the Dopamine rush with both of them getting boastful of their lifestyles.

“Catch Me If You Can” starts the deluxe run with a song that clears the recent KSI single of the same name talking about being in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan counting up his yen while the self-produced “Not Too Much” dabbles with plugg a bit to ask why you let your life of gold rust up the way it already has. “Sold Not Told” finds himself stealin’ hoes & drenching them in Celine Dion while the final bonus track “L.A.N. (Lame Ass N****s)” airs out every single cornball this hoe’s been texting figuring out how she found him through them.

Leaning into his pleasures more than ever during this current chapter of his life, Dopamine gears up for summer 2025 by summarizing who Lil Tecca is as an artist opting in favor of a pleasurably catchier direction as opposed to sadder more melancholic tones. You still get whiffs of the staple styles he’s known for except he’s introducing new sounds to his wheelhouse along the way, including newer tempos & even newer subjects to address lyrically. It’s like you’re getting a mix of his older material & him trying new things.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lil Tecca – “Plan A” review

New York rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & Galactic Records founder Lil Tecca back with his 3rd LP. Blowing up in 2018 after signing a distribution deal with Republic Records & the viral single “Ran$om”, it would later be included on his debut mixtape We Love You Tecca that same year & would receive lukewarm reception although it’s truthfully grown on me a tad bit over the course of time. His debut LP Virgo World was released during the pandemic & is widely considered to be the weakest entry in his discography. The last time we heard from Tecca was a couple summers ago when Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor executive produced a worthy sequel to We Love You Tecca & Tec from last fall showed maturity to the point where I recanted calling him a 1-hit wonder when Virgo World came out. Nearly a year to the day, Tecca’s commemorating by dropping Plan A.

“Taste” produced by Taz Taylor, Rio Leyva & Vendr showcases Tecca’s extensive selection of women over a cloudy trap instrumental to get the ball rollin’ whereas “Bad Time” works in some hi-hats & horns noting his dissatisfaction with the way some women in particular treat him. “120” goes for a futuristic atmosphere to beat reminding us that he’s not new & he’s been here, but then the rage-inducing “I Can’t Let Go” featuring Don Toliver locks in with Bugz Ronin to talk about still trappin’ out private projects.

The rattling trap vibes of “Vogue” are pretty fun admittedly boasting that life’s a bitch & he thought it was extortion further advising to send him your location while “24HRS” instrumentally feels skeletal despite him tryna keep his significant other on his mind. “2” cloudily brushes off Tecca’s side bitch tryna run the show & reposition herself as his main just before the atmospheric “Never Last” co-produced by venny discloses to his previous partners that they were easy to replace.

“Homebody” ends the first half of the LP on the cavernous trap tip gettin’ straight to business keeping the confidence instead of talking while the moody “Self2Self” explains everything dying soon as money gets involved & being rich longer than getting that Lawrence graduates degree. The cloudy “Separate Ways” asks if one took a different path if he’s M.I.A. switching with the technology leading into the synth-driven “Time & a Place” talking about having no time to waste whatsoever.

As for “4U”, we have Tecca dreamily telling this woman she’s lucky he even made the time for her & droppin’ dimes on her while the acoustic trap hybrid “Flowers” that BryceUnknwn cooked up confesses he didn’t know the hoe was gonna set his ass up. “Cold Girls” hooks up more at synths & hi-hats cutting off a lying bitch while the spacious “Mama” explains how risky shit got when he almost moved out west. “D1” playfully balls out telling the fakes running from life to face it & “All the Time” cloudily ends things talking about not overstepping.

Rather than making Plan A into this culmination of his career thus far, Lil Tecca instead takes the chance to reflect on the journey up to this point. Internet Money Records’ production evolves the sound that he’s spent the last few years cultivating & the general theme of his music career being all that he wants to do in life without a backup is truly motivating since you always got people talking about having a plan B.

Score: 3.5/5

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tana – “Friends Forever” review

Here we have the surprise 9th EP from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer tana. Beginning in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosa alongside his debut mixtape Quan before signining to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. tana then preluded his full-length debut album bana by putting out Gaultier as well as London & Dale. Only a month following the main course, Santanaromani has decided to upload Friends Forever on SoundCloud only 24 hours after producing the standout track “Chauncey” off the new Ian EP Valedictorian.

In a surprising turn of events, “Les Fleurs de Belle” kicks off the EP by taking a complete 180° stylistically departing from the trap/pop rap/rage/pluggnb sounds that he became known for in favor of psychedelic rock production from n9ck & robotically sung vocals. Yes, you heard me correctly. “Meisje” continues to delver further down the psych rock rabbit hole to sing about heartbreak while “Charlie” comes through with my favorite vocal performances on the entire EP letting Charlie know what he’s caused continuing the mid-60s style of rock emulating or enhancing the effects of psychedelic drugs. “Let’s Run Far Away” concludes Friends Forever by rejectingly singing about escapism over solemn guitars passages.

Friends Forever isn’t really any different from the new Ouija Macc tape Corruptus or Lil Yachty’s last album Let’s Start Here., of course IGOR and 808s & Heartbreak too. The latter of which he definitely pulls influence from with the amount of heavy auto-tune on his voice during a few points on the EP. But my point is: What you’re gonna get on here is something COMPLETELY & ENTIRELY different from anything that he’s put out previously. When an artist goes into a completely different direction like this, it could go like Rebirth & Supermarket or like those other projects I mentioned. And Friends Forever‘s rock sound makes tana the most versatile signing on Galactic much like maintaining Destroy Lonely happening to be the most versatile signing on Opium.

Score: 4/5

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tana – “bana” review

Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer tana coming off a string of EPs by releasing his full-length debut studio album. Starting in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosa alongside his debut mixtape Quan before signining to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. tana then preluded bana by putting out Gaultier as well as London & Dale. Nearly 6 months after the latter, we’re finally being treated to the main course.

“Decatur” produced by Zaytoven has to be my favorite opening track to a tana project yet jumping over a rich trap instrumental talking about his current mentality paying tribute to the titular city in Georgia whereas “Never Sober” takes the atmospheric route thanks to Rio Leyva working in some hi-hats as well boasting that his clients are always under the influence. “Because of Me” is this piano/trap hybrid asserting his position over those who turned his back on him after teaching them everything they know leading into the pluggnb infused “Cut Ties” telling his old hoes he ain’t interested in them no more.

Meanwhile on “Helluva Night”, we have BabySantana luxuriously describing an eventful evening that he’s had just before the club banger “couple$$$” that Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic laced talks about the high status he’s reached as result of his position as an artist. “stfu” breaks down life on the road & being too busy to have conversations with others unless it’s about money accompanied by a harp & hi-hats, but then the heavenly “Designer Thangs” begins the 2nd half of the album by talking about tana’s commitment to his craft.

“Slide” makes it clear to his current romantic interest that he’s in her city for the night on top of a spacious backdrop & rattling hi-hats while “Jesus Piece” is this synth-trap fusion looking back on the early stages of his career since he was introduced to the industry at a young age. “YSL” playfully talks about having her leave in new Saint Laurent while “VTMNTS” mixes a guitar & hi-hats talking about the Swiss luxury fashion house. “Feng Shui” clouding prays for better days & “wake up” ends Santanaromani’s first LP by psychedelically hoping she’s still there when he gets up.

Of all 4 projects we’ve gotten from tana in the last year & a half ever since he signed to a major label, bana stands out differently than Gaultier or even London & Dale did. Not only is he continually progressing artistically here but this time, we get what could possibly be his most cohesive body of work thus far. It’s more well-produced refining his signature pop rap/trap/pluggnb stylings & as far as the subject matter goes, you get a clearer look at who tana is personally.

Score: 4/5

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tana – “Dale” review

Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer tana continuing to prelude his full-length debut LP putting out his 3rd EP of the year & his 8th EP overall. Starting in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosa alongside his debut mixtape Quan before signining to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. But coming off his next 3 EPs n(n) as well as Santana & it’s sequel, tana rang in 2023 by making an impressive major label debut off his last EP Gaultier. But coming off London earlier this fall, tana is continuing to build up towards his first LP with Dale.

“Hi-Roller Foreigner” is a bass-heavy pop rap/trap opener asking if you wanna party with them & that he’s off the Molly whereas “5OUTH5IDE” talks about a bitch that’s so bad, that he might just lay her down over a cloudy trap beat. The song “Bet” works in a spacious backdrop & hi-hats from BryceUnknwn & Rafmade so he can flex that he’s touchin’ the motherfuckin’ stars leading into “Don’t Sweat It (No Pressure)” telling this chick not to let shit get to her head keeping the trillwave production in tact. “Models” wraps everything up by detailing his affluent lifestyle & observing how the music industry underestimates him over an ethereal n9ck beat.

tana’s been having a Hell of a year quickly establishing himself as Galactic’s best signing to date on Gaultier & with London being well received only a couple months back, I really didn’t expect anything less. Lo & behold: He went 3/3 for this year. Production wise, it’s rooted in his cloudy pop rap/trap sound & there’s a lot of passion in tana’s delivery throughout this one that should be noted.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lil Tecca – “Tec” review

This is the sophomore full-length album from New York rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & Galactic Records founder Lil Tecca. Blowing up in 2018 after signing a distribution deal with Republic Records & the viral single “Ran$om”, it would later be included on his debut mixtape We Love You Tecca that same year & would receive lukewarm reception although it’s truthfully grown on me a tad bit over the course of time. His debut LP Virgo World was released during the pandemic & is widely considered to be the weakest entry in his discography. The last time we heard from Tecca was a couple summers ago when Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor executive produced a worthy sequel to We Love You Tecca & is looking to give a listeners a closer at Tec.

“Yves” is a cloudy trap opener produced by BNYX of Working on Dying asking the the fuck is you on & that his shawty knows he’s a Don whereas “H.O.E. (HVN ON EARTH)” featuring Kodak Black works in a cloudy pop rap atmosphere talking about the women in their lives behind Heaven to them. “Gist” goes into plugg territory a bit courtesy of Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor feeling like they tried to stab him in the back when all he did was count the bread, but then “500lbs” blends some synths & hi-hats talking about not trusting a single thing he’s told.

On the other hand, “Fell in Love” featuring Ken Carson finds the 2 getting boastful over some rage beats just before the title track talks about regretting but not receiving accompanied by cloudier instrumental from Taz. “Salty” has a spacey, orchestral trap quality to it that Dynox provides with Nick Mira as well as Rio & once again Taz ballin’ regardless leading into the summery “Real Discussions” looks to never take this shit for nothing.

“Dead or Alive” shows off his wealth & looks back on his upbringings over a glossy instrumental while the dancehall-inspired “Want It Bad” is soured by mediocre romance-inspired subject matter. “U Don’t Know Tec” gives off a moodier vibe dissing those try to associate themselves when it only benefits them while “Used2This” talks about switchin’ hoes like switchin’ the channel over an incredibly colorful ass beat.

To start the final leg of the LP, the piano-driven “Trippin’ on U” admits he can’t change this bitch & is unwilling to do so while “Either Way” promises to never switch sides with a somewhat afrobeats inspired sound. The penultimate track “Need Me” returns to a trillwave groove keeping his day going & “Monday to Sunday” concludes Tecca’s sophomore effort by doing this shit early every day over synths as well as hi-hats.

I’m going to have to take back my previous statement when Virgo World dropped that this guy was a 1-hit wonder because as I mentioned: We Love You Tecca has grown on me with time & the sequel was cool. That being said: Tec beat the sophomore slump allegations on here because I can truly say it’s the best full-length LP to date. The production compared to the debut 3 years before is more consistent & Tecca profoundly shows us how much he’s grown up.

Score: 3.5/5

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tana – “London” review

This is the 7th EP from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer tana. Coming up in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosa alongside his debut mixtape Quan a couple years later & eventually signed to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. But coming off his last 3 EPs n(n) as well as Santana & it’s sequel, tana’s rang in 2023 by making an impressive major label debut off his last EP Gaultier at the beginning of the year. So considering that, I went into London to hear where he’d take it from there ahead of a self-titled body of work next month.

Things start off with a cloudy 2 & a half intro talking about being unable to prioritize a bitch over a bag despite wanting her badly whereas “nan” takes it a step further by detailing having to cut off his last girl because she was fucking with his head backed by a booming trap instrumental. “bool” talks about running the bucks up accompanied by a spacious beat with some 808s, but then “up” shoots for a glitchier trap approach sonically admitting he fucked up but he knows how to fix it.

“kould tell” psychedelically points out that the one he’s seeing now has clearly never been with a rockstar before leading into the trillwave-infused “cheque” encouraging shawty to rock with him even though he doesn’t play guitar. “rn (right now)” makes it clear that he don’t pop out when it’s bright out over a pluggnb instrumental that is until “ainmean.” strips the drums completely telling her that he didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. “pop it.” wraps up London by blending synths & hi-hats telling his lover that he’ll buy anything in the stores for her.

Gaultier quickly became the best EP in his discography once the year started & London is already right behind it on top of raising my expectations for self-titled next month. The production’s on par with tana’s major label debut continuing to expand on his pluggnb, cloudy pop rap sound & he’s continuing to deliver some of his strongest performances.

Score: 3.5/5

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tana – “Gaultier” review

This is the 6th EP from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer tana. Coming up in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosa alongside his debut mixtape Quan a couple years later & eventually signed to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. But coming off his last 3 EPs n(n) as well as Santana & it’s sequel, tana’s ringing in 2023 by making Gaultier his official major label debut.

“y” is a cloudy trap opener to the EP with tana the type of woman to drive you crazy yet the one you’d want to settle down & have kids with whereas “archive” continues to take a more atmospheric route courtesy of Internet Money Records founder Taz Taylor talking about wanting to touch the stars. “saving me” samples “Clairvoyant” by MISOGI confessing that he can’t be saved whatsoever, but then “hell nah” gives me a more psychedelic feel talking about hanging with shooters & telling/showing you how he feels.

Moving on from there with “hell yeah”, we have tana boasting his wealth & being prideful of the position that he’s in currently on top of a pluggy trap instrumental leading into “fear no man” talking about being afraid of anyone or anything over some hi-hats & synthesizers provided by Nosaint & Zodiac from Vanguard Music Group. “gon be ok” keeps things in cloud rap territory promising that everything will work itself out in the end just before the piano-laced “swaggin’ like this”with Lancey Foux finds the 2 showing y’all how they swag out.

The song “as i walk thru the path” speaks on getting faded in light of haters over a peppy trap beat while the penultimate track “hills @ night” has a more wavier groove to it from the synths to the lyrics about wanting to call this baddie his. “hope you feel the same” however is an acoustic-heavy closer to the EP touching on being unable to numb the pain & being stuck in his ways. I also don’t mind the interpolation of “changes” by the late XXXTENTACION at the back-end of the verse either.

Of the 3 protégés that Lil Tecca has taken under his wing & signed to Galactic/Republic so far, I respectfully think tana is the most promising of the bunch & Gaultier further cements that in my personal opinion. From the improved production choices to the passionate performances & catchy songwriting, this is a solid major label debut that demonstrates how much he’s grown as an artist within the last 5 years & gives me the feeling that it’s only the beginning.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lil Tecca – “Virgo World” review

Lil Tecca is an 18 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from New York City who blew up in 2018 off the single “Ran$om”. It would later be included on his debut mixtape We Love You Tecca that same year & would receive lukewarm reception. Fast forward a couple years later, Tecca is delivering his full-length debut.

The album kicks off with “Our Time”, where Lil Tecca calls out people using him for his newfound fame over an outdated dancehall beat. The next track “Actin’ Up” talks about his shawty over a rubbery instrumental with some luxurious keyboards while the song “When You Down” with Polo G & Lil Durk finds the trio touching down on loyalty over a trap beat with some impassioned piano embellishments.

“Back It Up” talks about an ex of his over a flute-inflicted instrumental Leon Thomas III co-produced while the song “Chemistry” talks about his new chick over another boring dancehall beat. The track “Royal Rumble” compares his newfound fame to the annual event created by WWE Hall of Famer, the inaugural WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Pat Patterson over a hyphy beat whereas “Foreign” produced by Rio Leyva & Taz Taylor of Internet Money Records is less of a song & more of a contest with to ΠΔV to see who can bore you the most.

The track “Selection” is a half-assed piece about wanting this woman to be his best friend over a decent instrumental from Skrillex & DJ Scheme while the song “Take 10” is pretty much the same thing except the beat is more undistinguished. The track “Dolly” with Lil Uzi Vert finds the 2 getting braggadocious over an intoxicating instrumental while the song “Insecurities” talks about how he adores this woman no matter what over a cheerful beat from Nick Mira.

“Tic Toc” talks about how no one wants beef with him over an instrumental kin to “When You Down” that I mentioned earlier while the song “Miss Me” talks about how he’s that guy over a somewhat quirky instrumental. The track “True to the Game” with Guwop Reign sees the 2 talking about them never changing over a violin-tinged instrumental while the song “Closest to Heaven” gets back on the romance shit over a woozy beat.

The track “Level Up” talks about hoping this woman means it when she says she loves him over a more soothing instrumental while the song “No Answers” talks about a chick acting stupid over an unexciting beat. The penultimate track “Last Call” over an acoustic trap instrumental from Cxdy & then the album ends with “Out of Love”, where Tecca talks about how fucked up the world is over a trap beat from Internet Money with a gorgeous piano loop.

I don’t mean any disrespect to the kid at all when I say this, but I think this album just goes to reveal Lil Tecca as a 1-hit wonder. The production choices are mostly bland & the rapping is more underwhelming than it’s ever been to the point where it just puts me to sleep. Pasto Flacco on the other hand is someone to look out for.

Score: 1.5/5