Camila Cabello – “C,XOXO” review

This is the 4th full-length studio album from Cuban singer/songwriter Camila Cabello. Originally a member of 5th Harmony, I first heard her when she was featured on the diabetically lovey dovey “Bad Things” by MGK & her full-length debut Camila at the beginning of 2018 released through Syco Music & Epic Records mostly produced by Ging ironically won me over on her. Romance & Familia were both later released to mixed reception & the singles building up to C,XOXO had me hoping she would bounce back from those couple duds. Especially after learning she signed a new label deal with Geffen Records & Interscope Records.

“I Luv It” featuring Playboi Carti was a disappointing opener mixing electropop, Jersey drill, pop rap, footwork, Jersey Club & hyperpop inspired by “Cockiness (Love It)” by Rihanna whereas “Channel No. 5” decently fuses alt-pop, alternative R&B, pop rap, glitch pop, cloud rap & art pop to talk about a romantic partner being unable to resist her scent. “He Knows” featuring Lil Nas X following the “pink xoxo” interlude featuring PinkPantheress crosses over alté, dance-pop, alternative R&B, pop rap, tarraxinha, afroswing describing a chemistry that’s too strong leading into the stripped-back “20somethings” admitting to feeling like she’s living in limbo ripping off SZA.

The now disbanded City Girls consisting of JT & Yung Miami join Camila on “Dade County Dreaming” to draw inspiration from house music paying tribute to the titular county out in Miami, Florida but after the “koshi xoxo” interlude featuring BLP Kosher, “Hot Uptown” featuring Drake brings the 2 together for a melodic house duet produced by Boi-1da asking if their partners want them back topped by Drake’s annoying fake patois during the refrain further validating the colonizer line on “Not Like Us”. Drizzy even gets his own song on “Uuugly” & it might be the best one he’s put out after the beef with Kendrick Lamar, but then “Dream-Girls” warmly pays tribute to the girls learning to become women.

After the “305tilidie” interlude which is the 3rd & final one on the entire LP, the song “B.O.A.T. (Best Of All-Time)” atmospherically tackles the rumination & reflection stage of a breakup to start the final leg while the penultimate track “pretty when I cry” tropically wallows about how much of a pity it is that her ex left her. “June Gloom” closes out Camila’s official Geffen/Interscope debut slowly yet dejectedly asking her former boyfriend if his new girl gets as wet as she does for him moves the way she does over an FNZ beat.

“baby pink” featuring Eem Triplin’ starts the deluxe run by talking about their partners being theirs forever over synths while “Come Show Me” peppily tells this dude who’s tryna convince her that he’s changed to actually prove it to her. “can friends kiss?” spaciously talks about becoming too close to someone she considers as a friend having fantasies of them in her head at night & the final bonus track “godspeed” ends the deluxe with my favorite of the 4 new songs taking us through a ghost world through art pop, electropop, alt-pop & glitch pop.

A lot can happen in 6 years & given Camila’s last couple albums didn’t do it for me (her racist comments towards Normani in 2019 certainly didn’t help either), her new one here is better albeit not by very much. The features are ok but my biggest complaint about C,XOXO is that it feels like it’s trying to be a more commercial version of Charli XCX’s latest masterpiece brat from 3 weeks earlier with more of an contemporary R&B, alt-pop, alternative R&B, pop rap, alté, tarraxinha & afroswing vibe with additional elements of hyperpop, Jersey drill, footwork, dance-pop, Jersey club & art pop.

Score: 2/5

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Highway – “Monochrome” review

This is the full-length, major label debut from Seattle up-&-comer Highway. Emerging during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, he would go on to drop 4 EPs & a couple of mixtapes until Brooklyn Haitian-American record executive/manager Steven Victor jointly signed him to his Victor Victor Worldwide imprint with exclusive distribution from Geffen Records last year. So given that, it was only a matter of time until Highway properly introduced himself to a wider audience by dropping Monochrome.

“B & W (Black & White)” starts the album with an atmospheric JetsonMade instrumental saying he don’t got no type of bad bitch & likes them all whereas “Don’t Lie” tells his girl not to front because she does a lot to drive him crazy with the beat having a more roomy feel to it. “Show Goes On” keeps things in cloudier territory saying all he does is rock, but then “All U Needed” featuring Ty$ takes a more moodier route as they talk about needing passengers like their significant others.

Meanwhile, “My Shit” makes it known that nobody built like him over a more calmer instrumental just before “Let Up” is a piano trap ballad talking about not feeling any pressure whatsoever even after the fact that he’s signed now. “Wake Up Early” featuring Seddy Hendrinx aims to blow his money without any worries over some hi-hats & claps leading into “Jet” returns to a cloudier vibe talking about hopping off his flight & knowing his people straight.

“Fuck-a-Rubberband” dives into spacious turf boasting that he does a lot while “on dat shit” returns to a more synth-based sound asking if you can depend on someone you call your brother. The song “Sin City“ happens to keep the synthesizers in tact making it clear he’s focused on his own path while the penultimate track “Gotta Kno” tells his girl not to worry about anyone other than him with a chilled out beat. “And Go” ties things up with a cavernous trap closer feeling’ like a heavyweight champion in his mind.

Compared to his earlier work, you can definitely hear the growth in Highway’s artistry on Monochrome & it makes me excited to see what the future holds for him from this point on. He delves deeper into the murky, R&B-tinged hip hop style that he’s been sporting ever since he came up by refining it to & stepping up his knack for catchy songwriting even though Ty$ had the stronger feature performance than Seddy personally.

Score: 3.5/5

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Yeat – “Aftërlyfe” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from Portland rapper Yeat. Coming up in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue $trips, he would followed up with 2 mixtapes & 3 more EPs before beginning to dominate the mainstream in 2021 whether it be him dropping a total of 4 projects (2 mixtapes, an EP & a debut album) or cosigns from the likes of Drake & Earl Sweatshirt. He eventually signed to Geffen Records, who backed his sophomore effort albeit major label debut 2 Alivë a little over a year ago & then a deluxe EP Gëek Pack shortly after. But coming off “Rich Minion” & his 5th mixtape Lyfë last summer, Yeat’s picking up where he left off with the Aftërlyfe.

“No morë talk” opens things up with some farty synthesizers & hi-hats from BNYX of Working on Dying talking about riding with his demons whereas “Shmunk” embraces the rage as the only legitimate feature on the album YoungBoy Never Broke Again tags along so they can flex their mob ties. “Bëttr 0ff” admits that he could give a fuck less of what others say & has no time for the fuss over a bell-infused trap instrumental from Bugz Ronin, but then “Rav3 P4rty” has a more dance influence to it courtesy of dulio talking about being on the edge.

Meanwhile on “Nun id change”, we have Yeat over a more robotic instrumental wishing that he could feel leading into “Woa…!” talking about how he ain’t friendly nor does he leave the crib without the strap over a wavy trap beat. “Now” comes through with an experimental sound courtesy of BEAUTIFULMVN confessing he hears voices when geeking just before “Slamm” throws it back to his earlier work sonically as dude steps on his opposition.

“7 nightz” comes through with some additional synths & hi-hats estimating that he’s been fucked up under the influence for about a week while “Mëan feen” is a piano trap ballad coming around shootin’ & slidin’ all over town. “How it go” is a dedication to the lifestyle that he lives today over a vigorous instrumental while “Sum 2 do” brings back the rage beats so he can remind everyone that he’s the one shaking the game up.

Moving on to “Back up”, things take a more cavernous tone instrumentally as Yeat admits that he’s relapsed on percs while “Split” comes through with an explosive hypertrap jam that ChaseTheMoney & Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic put together dedicated to Bentleys & women who want to be as rich as him. The self-produced “Bad bënd (DëMON)” was actually recorded 2 years ago yet it stands as a favorite of mine in the track-listing from the intoxicating beat to the lyrics about doing whatever he wants while “Hëavyweight” declares himself as champion over some bass & hi-hats.

“Watch” has a more minimal sound this time around as he advises those to sit back & see how he does it when he drops while “Shhhh” has a booming bass-line talking about being nowhere near the same level as anyone else in the game. “Back homë” is an acoustic trap cut comparing & contrasting his life then & now while the song “Type monëy” finds him swerving over a melodic beat. The penultimate track “Dëmon tied” opens up about the Devil watching his eyes over a hazy instrumental & “Mysëlf” ends things to a tribute to being true to oneself with a beat kin to “Can’t Stop It”.

This was actually a bit different than what I normally expect to hear from Yeat, but I most certainly welcome it & am curious to hear if he continues to go down this rabbit hole later on in the year. His knack for catchy songwriting remains in tact as the production this time around is significantly more experimental than his previous efforts & the 3 alter egos that he introduces throughout each have their own uniquely distinct characteristics.

Score: 3.5/5

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Smokingskul – “Bready” review

This is the 28th EP from emerging Swedish-American recording artist Smokingskul. Coming up in the spring of 2018 off his debut EP Souls, it wasn’t until this past fall where my little brother & UnreleasedSnip founder Jacob! played some of his shit for me during a smoke session. Namely the singles “Assembly Line” & “Vlone”. I was so impressed by the witty lyricism throughout both of those cuts, that it intrigued me enough to check out the Geffen Records-backed Nat Cap a few days later. I didn’t get to cover his previous EP Swedish Guy a few weeks later, but was most certainly intrigued to hear Bready following it’s announcement over the weekend.

“Chicken Wing” is a bombastic trap opener spitting about his mob ties even including an insane Backyardagains reference whereas “Aesthetic” comes through with a more synth-based approach calling out those who want his formula kin to a Krabby Patty or matching much like Freddy Krueger & Jason Voorhees. “Blue Zan” delivers a chaotic trap instrumental from TDF loving the blick more than rednecks along with getting Starbucks & how he ain’t Dunkin’, but then “Comic Con” almost has a cloudy flare to it talking about everything being real with him.

However with “Move”, we have Skul airing out the artists who be purpin’ & making all the opps accompanied by some sub-bass & synthesizers while the song “Fed 2” is a short yet aggressive sequel to the highlight “Fed” off his 22nd EP Da Slimeprint nearly 10 months ago at this point. The penultimate track “Green” goes into more pluggier turf letting y’all know what he’s sipping on & being off that white à la Charlie Sheen just before the rage-inducing closer “Perks on Hand” ties things up talking about staying to himself.

In comparison to everyone else that’s apart of the Taliban collective, Smokingskul has only been further revealing himself to be my favorite member within the past few months & Bready solidifies that for being the kick-off to what I personally believe will be the biggest year of his career to date. The production year again hones in on the plugg sound that he blew up off of as his distinct voice, invigoratingly aggressive delivery & witty gangsta raps continue to cement him as one of the most exciting new faces in the subgenre.

Score: 4/5

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Smokingskul – “Nat Cap” review

Smokingskul is a 20 year old Swedish-American rapper from Naples, Florida who first came up in the spring of 2018 off his debut EP Souls. He has since gone on to follow it up with 25 more EPs in that short amount of time, but it wasn’t until earlier this week where my little brother & UnreleasedSnip founder Jacob! played some of his shit for me during a smoke session. Namely the singles “Assembly Line” & “Vlone”. I was so impressed by the witty lyricism throughout both of those cuts, that it intrigued me enough to check out his 26th EP right here following his born day on Tuesday & landing a deal with Geffen Records.

“PSA” is an eerie trap opener sending a message to the TSA whereas “Nina” that MexikoDro & Trgc laced takes a pluggier turn talking about guns. XanMan’s verse on “If U Was Me” is a bit underwhelming if I’m being honestly as much as I like the quirky synths & the line during Skul’s verse where he says “You Justin Bieber with that baby Glock when you up that, you Ludacris” leading into the experimental “Jenga” produced by TDF calling himself “a main-eventer” & referencing WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Continuing from there with “Who is U?”, we have Skul calling out those who ain’t slime over a glossy trap instrumental just before “Hi tech” working in a whistling beat & a reference to 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena. “Valid” has a glitchier quality to the production as Lunchbox comes into the picture to ponder what they be on their dicks for, but then “Kong Kong” has a more rubbery yet psychedelic vibe to it talking about doing it all himself.

The bassy “Blick” of course boasts that he has a Draco on him while the penultimate track “Who I Am” shoots for a more hypnotic aesthetic talking about running up on motherfuckers that ain’t do shit & to your spot. “Good Lad” however managed to send off the EP on a pluggier note with Skul explaining how you would’ve passed off to him if you were from the UK including a bar about former 3-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, 9-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, HOG Tag Team Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy at the end of his verse is insane!

I seriously gotta shout out my lil brody for putting me onto to this dude because I think he really is someone to keep an eye on in the plugg scene right now. Both of the features didn’t really do anything for me with no disrespect intended whatsoever, but Skul’s witty gangsta rap heavy lyricism & crazed flows throughout this EP are both huge selling points for me to want to go back to it.

Score: 3.5/5

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Yeat – “Lyfë” review

Yeat is a 22 year old rapper from Portland, Oregon who out in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue $trips. This was followed up with 2 mixtapes & 3 more EPs, but he began dominating the mainstream in 2021 whether it be him dropping a total of 4 projects (2 mixtapes, an EP & a full-length debut) or cosigns from the likes of Drake & Earl Sweatshirt. He just dropped his sophomore effort albeit major label debut 2 Alivë under Geffen Records during the first quarter of 2022 & is commemorating the 1-year anniversary of Up 2 Më this weekend by dropping his 3rd mixtape following the huge success of “Rich Minion” earlier this summer.

“Flawlëss” is an otherworldly trap opener produced by BNYX of Working on Dying with Yeat on the hook & a sole Lil Uzi Vert verse boasting their lifestyles whereas “Up off X” dives into rage territory talking about being wide awake at night due to taking ecstasy. “Out thë Way” has a more calmer vibe to it declaring himself to be the baddest, but then “Wat it feel lykë” works in some wailing synths & hi-hats to diss rats.

Meanwhile on “Got it all”, we have Yeat over a bass-line & snares to flex his wealth leading into “Can’t stop it” brings some rock undertones to the beat surprisingly refusing to quit going hard. “Krank” almost has a cinematic quality to the instrumental talking about geekin’ just before “Talk” returns to the hypertrap sound to deliver some braggadocious lyrics.

“Comë on” shoots for a more electronic aesthetic to it thanks to BenjiCold going for the necks of his competition while the song “Systëm” has a more darker tone sonically talking about the drugs hitting right. The penultimate track “Holy 1” is a cloudier cut detailing his mob ties & “Killin’ ‘ëm” sends off the album on a wavy yet deadpan note talking about coming from that dirty.

Considering that Geëk Pack was just a decent collection of microwaved 2 Alivë leftovers, I had no doubt that Lyfë was gonna expand on what made the predecessor the fun major label debut it is. Lo & behold, that’s what happened here. It’s refreshing to hear Yeat dabbling with some new sounds than last time & his knack for catchy songwriting remains unmatched.

Score: 3.5/5

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Yeat – “2 Alivë” review

Year is a 21 year old rapper from Portland, Oregon who out in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue $trips. This was followed up with 2 mixtapes & 3 more EPs, but he began dominating the mainstream in 2021 whether it be him dropping a total of 4 projects (2 mixtapes, an EP & a full-length debut) or cosigns from the likes of Drake & Earl Sweatshirt. But now with “U Could Tëll” appearing on one of latest Euphoria episodes & signing to Geffen Records, we’re finally being treated to Yeat’s long-awaited sophomore album.

“Poppin’” sets off the whole thing off on a cloudy note courtesy of BenjiCold boasting whereas “Outsidë” with Young Thug finds the 2 detailing the many benefits that come alongside their position as artists referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair over an upbeat Supah Mario instrumental. “Rëal 6” takes a more atmospheric yet bass-heavy route with a clever homage to Nipsey Hu$$le in the hook, but then Trgc makes “Nvr again” sound something out of a retro video game as far as production goes & talking about his drug addiction.

Meanwhile on “Luh gëek”, we have Yeat over some prominent bass getting in his shit-talking bag leading into the Gunna assisted “Rackz got 2 më” talking about money consuming them over some somber bells. “Doublë” has a more futuristic feel to it detailing being “geeked out his mind” just before “On tha timë” talks about being the big dog & the instrumental reminds me a lot of Super Mario.

“Jus better” reincorporates some bells into an electronic backdrop speaking down on his competition while “Jump” reveals itself to be a vigorous moshpit anthem. “Dnt lië” follows it up by talking about going up on the list over a quirky instrumental whereas “Rollin’” shoots for a more chilled out vibe to flex.

Continuing from there, “Taliban” comes in with a more playful sound saying he’s always a geek while “Narcoticz” brings in Yung Kayo for a synth-laced drug theme. “Call më” follows that up with a decent love ballad & “Kan’t dië” picks brings back the synthesizers to brag.

Ken Carson tags along for the triumphant “Gëek high” talking about pulling up with the team while the song “Luh m” with ‎SeptembersRich is a cool little sequel to “Insidë out”. The penultimate track “Smooktobër” finds Yeat talking about fucking up the game over a spooky beat from F1LTHY of Working on Dying & “Still countin’” ends with the album with a hedonistic trap banger that Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic laced detailing the rich life.

“Big tonka” with Lil Uzi Vert starts the deluxe run with a euphoric, bell-heavy ode to Lamborghinis teasing a potential collaborative tape if that actually happens while “Kant rëlax” follows it up with a hypertrap banger about how ready he is. “No commënt” takes a more vibrant direction dissing Autumn! in the hook leading into Uzi returning for the futuristic yet uncanny “3G” talking about being the only ones outer space.

Meanwhile on “Nëw turban”, we have Yeat returning to hypertrap territory reincorporating some bells to spit some braggadocio just before “Hatër” claps back at those who don’t like him over a rubbery instrumental. The song “Way back” comes through with a more anthemic ballad talking about getting the cash while the penultimate track “Luv monëy” with Lancey Foux speaks for itself accompanied by a bass-heavy beat. “Dub” finishes the EP with an electrifying instrumental talking about his wins.

To see how far this dude has come within the last year has been incredible to watch because 2 Alivë has to be his best full-length yet in my eyes. It’s not as cloudy or pluggy as his early work, but he still displays a unique take on modern trap even on a major label.

Score: 4/5

Smokepurpp – “Psycho (Legally Insane)” review

Smokepurpp is a 23 year old rapper from Miami, Florida who broke out in 2017 alongside his childhood friend Lil Pump. Shortly after the release of his debut EP Up Now Fuck Next, he caught the attention of Houston superstar Travis Scott & dropped his critically acclaimed debut mixtape Deadstar under Cactus Jack Records in a joint venture with the Interscope Records sub-label Alamo Records. This was followed up with a 3-Pack EP a couple months later as well as the Murda Beatz-produced Bless Yo Trap tape in 2018 & the Lost Planet EP in 2019, but then Purpp would leave Cactus Jack that same year to release the full-length debut Deadstar 2. Which was below average in comparison to that debut mixtape. His sophomore album Florida Jit from last summer turned out to be mediocre, as the only saving graces of it were Ronny J’s production & a couple of the features. But to move on from a tumultuous 2020 like almost all of us are doing at this point, Purpp is coming out of the woodwork by dropping his 3rd EP.

Things start off with “Prom Queen”, where Purpp talks about being trigger happy over a trap beat sampling “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” by Wendy Rene. The next song “We Outside” with Lil Mosey finds the duo talking about poppin’ out until the sun comes up over an instrumental that has a bit of a country flare to it while the track “200 Thou” produced by Ginseng talks about walkin’ through the mall with a bunch of cash on him over a comatose beat.

The song “Rockstar” talks about his new lifestyle over an instrumental that sounds like it was copied right out of the Pi’erre Bourne playbook while the penultimate track “What You Wanna Do?” gets on the murder tip over a fittingly grisly beat. The EP ends with “Tic Tac”, where Smokepurpp talks about fucking up the trap over a trap metal instrumental.

Coming from someone who enjoyed Deadstar & Bless Yo Trap quite a bit, I really didn’t care for this EP other than a couple joints. The production choices are very questionable for a good majority of it’s 13-minute runtime & lyrically, Smokepurpp is just painting himself into a corner at this point.

Score: 1.5/5